The Change
by maxandkiz
Summary: Bobby and Joshua attempt to help Dean and Sam deal with their grief over John's death. Takes place after ELAC.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

The Change

Bobby Singer sat in the rickety rocking chair on his back porch staring at Sam Winchester's retreating back. He silently prayed that the boy would be able to get through to that stubborn brother of his this time; that whatever he was about to do or say didn't make things ten times worse between the two. The older hunter was so tired of seeing John's boys walking on eggshells around each other. He knew they dealt with grief in very different ways and that that was a big part of the problem. But they were brothers for Pete's sake. Their father's death should have drawn them closer together, if that were possible. Instead they were drifting apart and if something didn't put a stop to it soon, he was afraid the boys would go their separate ways. Not that he was about to let that happen.

The shattering of glass startled Bobby out of his musings. Worried that things had gotten out of hand he leapt to his feet and hurried down the stairs intent on getting to the boys before one of them did something he'd regret. Just as he stepped onto the ground Sam came barreling out of the junkyard. Bobby watched as the youngest Winchester sprinted down the driveway and out of sight. Shaking his head the older man turned and trudged back up the stairs and into the house. Things had just gotten a lot worse from the looks of it which meant it was up to him to put the Winchesters back together again. Snatching the phone from its cradle on the counter he pressed speed dial four and waited for an answer. "Josh, its Bobby…not good…listen remember that idea you told me about…yeah that one, I think now's the time…set everything up for the end of the week…don't worry about them, I'll make sure they get there…okay, thanks Josh…bye". Grinning for the first time in weeks Bobby placed the phone back on the counter and headed for the living room. There were some things he needed to take care of.

Later that evening

Bobby covered the bowl of chili and set it in the refrigerator. It would definitely make another meal, maybe two with as little as Dean and Sam were eating these days. Grabbing his mug Bobby poured himself another cup of coffee and sat down at the table to review his to do list. He mentally went over everything that still needed to be done before week's end hoping he wasn't forgetting anything. He couldn't write it down; one of the boys might stumble upon it and that would screw up the whole plan. The only way it would work is if the boys didn't know what was going on until it was too late for them to object. Piece of cake, right? "Yeah and I'm a famous Hollywood actor"he muttered taking another swig of his coffee.

Sam shuffled into the kitchen taking a seat across from Bobby. Chewing on his bottom lip he nervously ran a hand through his hair as he worked up the courage to talk to Bobby knowing that the older man was going to be less than pleased with him. After several minutes of fidgeting in his chair, Sam finally took a deep breath and spoke. "Umm, Uncle Bobby?"

"_Ahh crap! It must be bad if he's gone back to calling me that."_ Bobby thought as he gazed over at the younger man. "What can I do for ya, Sam?" he softly asked.

"Well, I, umm, I was wondering if you, uhhh, if you…" Sam stuttered looking anywhere except at Bobby.

"Spit it out, boy" Bobby ordered. He moved his chair next to Sam's and put a hand on the young man's shoulder. Getting no reply he softened his voice and tried again. "Come on, Sam. What's wrong, son?"

"Do you…do you have any, any burn cream?" Sam hesitantly asked. "Our first aid kit is still in the impala and I can't get to it right now and I looked in your kit but I didn't see any and I thought maybe you had some…"

"Whoa, Sam! Stop and take a breath." Bobby instructed. "What do you need burn cream for?" Seeing Sam glance down at his hands Bobby reached over and gently took the boy's hands in his turning them palm up. Both hands were a dark red with a few small blisters in a couple of spots. "What in the sam hill did you do, boy?"

"I, umm, kinda grabbed a hot pipe when we were fighting the Rakshasa." Sam replied sheepishly. "Ellen put some cream on them when we got back to the Road…OWWW! What was that for, Bobby?" he grumbled rubbing the back of his head.

"That was for being an idgit" Bobby said as he settled his cap back on his head. "You don't mess around with burns Sam, you know that. Those hands should have been seen about last night when you two knuckleheads got back."

"I know" Sam whispered slouching down in his chair. "I just…we were…and then…"

"Take it easy, Sam. I know, okay. I'm not happy about it, but I know." Bobby comforted. Releasing the boy's hands he stood and headed for the other room. "Come on. Let's go to the ER and get those hands checked out. If we're lucky, Vonnie will be working tonight."

"What about Dean?" Sam quietly asked staring down at his hands.

"I'll holler at him, tell him we're going into town." Bobby said from the doorway. "Now get a move on. I'd rather not spend my entire evening sitting in some crowded, noisy waiting room."

Sam meekly followed Bobby through the living room and out the front door. Getting into the beat up car he hoped Bobby was right about Vonnie. She always knew how to make him feel better.

AN- What do you think? Continue or trash?


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

AN- My apologies to any medical personnel reading this chapter. I have no medical knowledge.(and several hours of searching the net didn't yield squat.)

Previously on Supernatural- Sam meekly followed Bobby through the living room and out the front door. Getting into the beat up car he hoped Bobby was right about Vonnie. She always knew how to make him feel better.

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Bobby and Sam walked through the sliding doors of the small county ER and up to the desk. "Sam, go find a spot and sit down." Bobby instructed as he glanced around the almost empty waiting room. "And don't touch anything."

Nodding Sam trudged over to the nearest chair and took a seat placing his hands in his lap. He looked around the room noticing that an elderly couple were the only other people waiting to be seen. _"Guess I won't have to wait long." _Sam thought wishing he could just go back out to the truck and drive home. He hated hospitals at the best of times but since the accident they had moved up on his lists of places he never wanted to go again; coming right behind circuses. Shifting his gaze to his hands he began naming the cassettes Dean had in the impala in alphabetical order hoping to keep his mind off where he was at the moment.

"The nurse said it's been a slow night and we won't have to wait long, Sam." Bobby said as he sat down next to the young hunter. "Just one person ahead of ya."

"Okay" Sam whispered losing his place. Sighing he started over making it to AC/DC's Back in Black before a nurse calling for a Harold Whitworth messed him up again. Glancing at Bobby out of the corner of his eye Sam could tell that the older man was still upset with him from just from the way he was sitting. Not wanting Bobby angry with him too he fidgeted in his chair attempting to come up with the right thing to say before finally settling on a whispered, "I'm sorry Bobby"

"I know" Bobby simply replied. "And it's okay. I know you're going through a lot right now. But if you ever ignore another injury…"

"I won't, Bobby" Sam promised giving his friend a slight smile. "And thanks for calling Nurse Vonnie for me."

"Oh, you don't have to thank me for that one, sport." Bobby said with a smirk. "It was my pleasure."

"Huh" Sam asked cocking his head to one side and staring at the older hunter.

Hearing Sam's name called Bobby quickly got to his feet. "Come on Sam, your turn." He stated pulling on Sam's shirt sleeve. "And before you say it, yes I am going back there with you. And no you don't have a choice in the matter so zip it and let's go." Smiling at the nurse that was waiting Bobby followed her through the door and down the hall to cubicle eight. He pushed Sam toward the exam table and then sat down in a chair in the corner beside the curtain.

Sam hesitantly sat down on the paper covered table as he glanced around at all the various instruments that were lying in plain sight. Swallowing nervously he swiftly went back to alphabetizing his big brother's cassette tapes. The swish of the curtain announcing the doctor's arrival broke his concentration causing him to look up. He watched as a fifty something man with white hair and glasses approached him.

"Mr. Winchester" the doctor greeted with a tired smile, "I'm Dr. Loap. I hear you've got some nasty burns on your hands." Seeing his patient peering around him he chuckled. "Almost forgot. Nurse Vonnie said to tell you she's on the way. She's working up on the Pediatric floor so it might take her a few minutes."

"Oh, okay" Sam nervously replied.

"Big talker, huh?" Dr. Loap joked as he pulled a stool over to the table and sat down. Sighing at his patient's lack of response he switched on the lamp and held out his hands. "Let's take a look at those hands."

Sam checked the curtain once more before slowly putting his hands out. As the doctor began examining the burns Sam glanced down looking for something to focus on to take his mind off what the doctor was doing. His gaze zoomed in on the pinned tag on the jacket of the man's lab coat. Sam couldn't prevent a snicker from escaping as he read his physician's name "Dr. Jack Loap".

"Something funny?" Dr. Loap asked looking up at his patient. "You're not ticklish, are you?"

"No, no I just, uhhh, just, ummm" Sam stammered grinning from ear to ear, "just please tell me your middle name doesn't start with the letter a."

"Actually my middle name is the letter a." Dr. Loap replied with a shrug. "My parents thought it was cute."

"Well it's different" Sam chuckled. "And you don't have to worry about your patients forgetting your name."

"I knew there had to be a silver lining in there somewhere." Jack quipped glad that his young patient was finally starting to relax. Hearing the curtain he added, "Evening, Nurse Vonnie"

"Hi Dr. Loap, Sam" Vonnie said as she walked over to the counter and picked up the ear thermometer. Placing the instrument in Sam's ear she winked at Bobby as she waited for a reading. Removing the thermometer after the beep she glanced at the readout and frowned. She wrote the results on Sam's chart and then set the thermometer back on the counter.

"Sam, can you tell me when and how this happened?" Dr. Loap asked as he scribbled notes on the chart the nurse gave him.

"Yeah, it uhh, I did it the night before last. I don't remember much. See my brother and I were at this carnival a few towns over and we'd both been drinking. Guess I had a little too much." Sam sheepishly explained. "Umm, I remember a fun house and something about a dare and a, a, pipe organ. I think I grabbed one of the pipes."

"Okay, and how have you been treating the burns?" the doctor inquired.

"He hasn't" Bobby broke in. "A friend put some burn cream on them last night but that's it."

"I see" Dr. Loap muttered with a frown as he scribbled on a small green pad. "Is it safe to assume that you've been using your hands and that you didn't cover them?" Seeing the young man nod Dr. Loap's frown deepened. "That would explain the condition of the burns and the low grade fever." Tearing two pages out of the pad he walked over and handed them to Bobby. "I'm giving him a prescription for a round of antibiotics. Make sure he finishes the whole bottle."

"You got it Doc. I'll see to it that he does whatever you say." Bobby assured Dr. Loap ignoring Sam's groan of protest.

"Good, then I'll leave you in Nurse Vonnie's very capable hands. She'll wash and treat the burns and tell you exactly what young Sam here needs to do." the physician stated as he headed for the curtain. "Oh, one last thing Sam. When's the last time you had a tetanus booster?"

"Oh, ummmm" Sam mumbled.

"That's what I thought." Dr. Loap sighed adding notes to Sam's chart again before handing it to Vonnie. "All right Vonnie, he's all yours. Take care of yourself Sam. And no more drinking and taking dares."

Vonnie waited for Dr. Loap to go through the curtain before rounding on Sam. "Sammy Winchester, what in the world did you think you were doing letting these burns go?" she asked as she gathered the supplies she would need. Once she had everything ready she set her supplies on the table beside Sam and took a seat on the stool. Taking Sam's right hand in hers she began to carefully and gently clean the burns. "Well, I'm waiting." She said glancing up to see the young man looking down at his feet. Frowning Vonnie tried again. "Sam Winchester either you start talking right now or I pull out the needles. Your choice." She scolded fighting a smile as the boy's head shot up at the dreaded "n" word. When the young man still didn't speak she reached back and opened one of the drawers.

Sam's eyes widened when Nurse Vonnie reached into the drawer and pulled out a cylinder shaped package. "No, don't" he called. "I'm sorry. I know I should have done something about my hands but we were on a job and Dean, he's been so, and we had to and I just, and then I forgot and I didn't…" Sam babbled.

"Sam? Sam, calm down! It's okay sweetie" Nurse Vonnie soothed cupping the youngster's chin. "I put the needles away. See? Nothing to worry about, alright?"

"Sorry" Sam whispered breathlessly.

"Me too honey" Vonnie said as she started to treat his hands once more. "Just promise me you won't ever do anything that foolish again."

"I won't. Bobby would tan my hide if I did." Sam promised giving the nurse a dimpled grin.

Returning the smile Nurse Vonnie finished cleaning both hands before applying the burn cream being extremely careful of the blisters that had burst. Once that was done, she dumped out the bowl of warm water and put away the cream while she prepared for the toughest part. "Bobby, I'm going to need your help." She said as she opened the drawer and pulled out a syringe before getting a vial from the cabinet.

"Wait, what are you...but I, I didn't" Sammy stammered as he watched her prepare the injection.

"I know Sam. This isn't what you think. This is the tetanus booster Dr. Loap asked about." Vonnie patiently explained.

"Can't you just pretend you gave me that?" Sam asked taking a step back from the table and bumping into Bobby.

"Sorry sweetie, no can do." the nurse replied. Turning to Bobby she said, "Now the doctor doesn't want Sam using his hands for the next few days, so Bobby if you can unfasten his pants and lower them just a little…"

"Bobby, don't" Sam muttered shaking his head. "I can do it."

"Sorry kiddo, you heard Vonnie" Bobby apologized as he grabbed Sam's wrists and gently set them back on the table palm up. Undoing the young man's belt and jeans he swiftly pulled Sam's jeans and boxers down a bit exposing his hip. Bobby then placed a hand on the littlest Winchester's shoulder and kept it there wincing along with Sam as the shot was administered. "Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" he asked as he quickly pulled up the boy's jeans and fastened them.

"Bad's not a strong enough word for it." Sam grumbled. He reached around to rub his sore behind only to have his hands slapped away. "Whatcha do that for?"

"No using your hands, remember?" Bobby reminded.

"But I have to use my hands to eat, dress, shower, and ummm, to do other stuff." Sam protested turning to Vonnie for support.

"Sorry Sammy, but the doctor said no using your hands. That means you can't do anything with them, not eating, dressing, nothing. " Nurse Vonnie clarified. "You'll just have to let Dean and Bobby help you."

"You mean they'll have to…" Sam yelled in horror. "No, no way! Not happening!"

"Samuel Winchester, are you arguing with me?" Nurse Vonnie scolded reaching for the drawer of syringes.

"N-no ma'am" Sam squeaked watching Vonnie's hand like a hawk.

"Don't worry Vonnie. I'll see to it that he don't use those hands." Bobby assured his friend as he led Sam to the curtain.

"I know you will, Bobby." Vonnie replied as she followed them down the hall and to the sliding glass doors. After giving both men a hug, the three said their goodbyes. "Take care of those hands, Sam. I don't want to see you back in here anytime soon." Nurse Vonnie called as Bobby and Sam walked out the doors and into the parking lot.

Getting to the car Bobby quickly opened the passenger side door smirking as Sam rolled his eyes at him. He made sure Sam was safely inside the vehicle before closing the door. Hurrying around to the driver's side the older hunter climbed in and started his old rust bucket. It was time he had a talk with John's boys.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

AN- Just wanted to let y'all know that I posted "Bobby's" casserole recipes on my profile for anyone who would like to try them.

And nope, still no medical knowledge.

Previously on Supernatural- It was time he had a talk with John's boys.

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Bobby climbed into the driver's seat dropping the prescription bag in Sam's lap. Starting the engine he backed out of the parking spot, turned, and drove through the parking lot of the all night pharmacy and back onto the road. He drove for a couple of blocks before pulling into another driveway.

"Bobby, what are you stopping here for?" Sam asked looking at the small busy building.

"Your meds say take with food so I figured we'd drive through here and get you something to eat." Bobby explained. He drove up to the speaker and quickly ordered a pack of mini cinnabons and two cokes and then pulled up to the pick-up window.

"Bobby, we just ate supper a little while ago." Sam pointed out.

"I don't think you can call what you did eating." Bobby replied as he took the bags and drinks from the young lady at the window. He pulled away from the window and parked in the first available spot. "You have to eat more than two bites for it to count as eating a meal. And I'm not gonna risk you getting sick from taking these without something in your stomach so quit your belly aching and open up."

Scowling Sam obediently opened his mouth allowing the older hunter to pop a mini bon in it. He slowly chewed and swallowed the gooey cinnamon bun. He reached for his drink only to have Bobby knock his hand out of the way and pick up the cup for him. Sam leaned over and took a sip to wash down the cinnamon taste before sitting up to let the older man know he was through. He rolled his eyes as Bobby held another bun up to his mouth. Sighing he opened his mouth once more. "This is stupid" he muttered around the mouthful of food.

"Yeah, well that's what you get for not taking care of yourself, kiddo." Bobby scolded opening the pill bottle and dumping two pills into his hand. He popped those in Sam's mouth before holding his drink up for the youngster to take another sip. After making sure Sam had had enough, Bobby put the car in gear and turned back onto the road home. He was silent on the ride home as he mentally rehearsed what he wanted to say to John's boys. He knew he had to tread very carefully with them; he didn't want a repeat of the scene in the junkyard this afternoon. Turning into his driveway Bobby decided he needed to start with Sam so taking a deep breath he began. "Sam, I think we need to have a little talk." Getting no response he glanced over to find Sammy fast asleep. "Huh, guess that talk will have to wait till morning." He mused.

Focusing back on his driveway he drove all the way up to the porch steps before stopping. Bobby stuffed the prescription bag in his pocket and climbed out of the car. Seeing the spotlights on in the junkyard he knew Dean was still out there working on his baby. Shaking his head at the boy's stubborn streak he walked around the car and carefully opened the passenger door. "Sam, time to wake up." He called shaking the boy's shoulder. "Come on Sam. I ain't hauling your heavy behind up those steps."

"W't?" Sam slurred cracking open one eye.

"We're home Sam. Think you can get into the house by yourself or do I need to get Dean to help ya?" Bobby asked.

"Noooo D'n. I g't, g't it." Sam mumbled as he slowly climbed out of the car. Swaying he leaned into Bobby's side as the man wrapped an arm around his waist. "T'nks"

"No problem. Now come on. One step at a time" Bobby coached. Readjusting and tightening his grip he helped Sam lumber onto the porch. Leaning the young man against the wall he snagged his house key out of his pocket and swiftly unlocked the door. Throwing it open he took up his position once more and led a stumbling Sam into the house and up the stairs to the boys' room. Bobby hauled the youngest Winchester over to the bed farthest from the door and gently lowered him down smiling as Sam immediately turned on his side and fell back asleep. After pulling off the boy's boots, jeans, and button down shirt, Bobby grabbed the extra blanket off the end of the bed and covered Sam up. Taking the rumpled bag out of his pocket he set the pill bottle and burn cream on the nightstand between the beds. Walking across the hall he got a glass of water and the thermometer which he also set on the nightstand before going out of the room. "That should get Dean's attention." He thought as he headed down the hall to the stairs.

The next morning

Dean stepped out on the porch yawning as he stretched the kinks out of his back that sleeping on the couch had caused. Hearing a car engine he stared into the early morning fog watching as a red Jeep came down the drive stopping behind Bobby's old hunk of junk. Dean walked down the porch stairs eyes glued to the driver's door which slowly opened revealing a very familiar face. "Hey Vonnie! What brings you out so early?" he greeted as he walked up to the young nurse and gave her a hug.

"Morning Dean, I just thought I'd stop by and see how my patient was doing before I went home and got some sleep." Vonnie replied. "Sam feeling better this morning?"

"Wh-What?" Dean asked.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

Previously on Supernatural-"Morning Dean, I just thought I'd stop by and see how my patient was doing before I went home and got some sleep." Vonnie replied. "Sam feeling better this morning?"

"Wh-What?" Dean asked.

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"What do you mean patient? What's wrong with Sammy?" Dean worriedly asked glancing back at the house.

"You didn't know about the burns on Sam's hands?" Vonnie gasped. "I'm sorry Dean, I just assumed you…"

"Sam burnt his hands?" Dean broke in. "How the hell did he manage that?"

"Bobby said he grabbed one of the pipes from a pipe organ on a hunt for a killer clown of all things." Vonnie filled in.

"The rakshasa?" Dean muttered clinching his fists as a wave of anger rushed over him. "Are you telling me that Sam got hurt on a hunt two days ago?!"

"You really didn't know?" Vonnie asked.

"I'm gonna kick his a$$!" Dean hollered. He turned and started toward the house ignoring Vonnie's shouts to stop. Taking the porch steps two at a time Dean stomped across the porch only to be stopped by a hand on his chest. "Get outta the way, Bobby" he growled glaring at the older man.

"Not gonna happen Dean" Bobby gruffly replied. "I ain't letting you anywhere near Sam until you calm down."

"Move or be moved." Dean threatened.

"Try it and you'll find yourself flat on your back before you can say 'uncle'" Bobby fired back.

"Alright guys, let's just take a step back and calm down." Vonnie interjected as she walked up between the two men and put a hand on their shoulders. She waited until she had both hunters attention before continuing. "Now, here's what's going to happen. Dean, you and I are going to go sit in the porch swing and have a little talk."

"What if I don't want to?" Dean huffed.

"Tough" Vonnie answered with a grin before turning to address the older man. "Go ahead inside and see about Sam Bobby. I'll deal with this one."

"You sure?" Bobby asked.

"Positive" Vonnie replied motioning for him to go. Once the front door shut she took Dean by the arm and led him to the swing on the left side of the porch. Taking a seat the nurse patted the spot next to her smiling as the hunter glared at her before sitting down. "Good. Now wanna tell me what's got you so worked up?"

"What do you think?" Dean scoffed. "Sam burns his hands on a hunt two days ago and the little shit doesn't say a word to me about…"

"He didn't say" Vonnie repeated her voice rising with each word. "Dean, when has Sam ever had to tell you he was hurt? You've always known when that boy was sick or hurt. Even when he got older and tried to hide it Sam could never fool you. You always saw right through him."

"Yeah, well not this time." Dean growled staring down at his hands.

"And why is that? What made this time so different?" the nurse prodded.

"Cause we haven't been around each other, okay!" Dean hollered. "I've haven't seen much of him since, since the ac…, the hunt. I've been out here working on the impala while Sam's inside doing whatever it is he does when we're not working."

"I'm not buying it, Dean. You called me from Palo Alto at least twice asking me to call and check up on Sam because he looked like he was getting sick." Vonnie gently reminded. "You hadn't been around him at all then but you still knew something was wrong after one glance. What's really going on?"

"I just, I, I don't" Dean stammered still looking down. "I just can't deal with him right now. He's always wanting to talk and I can't. I just can't and I can't make him understand that."

"Oh, he understands, honey." Vonnie assured the young man beside her. She tenderly cupped his cheek smiling as he glanced up at her in confusion. "That's part of the reason Sam didn't tell you about his hands; he knows you're dealing with a lot right now and he didn't want to add to it."

"He said that?" Dean softly asked.

"Not quite that way, but yes he did" Vonnie said.

Dean silently stared off into the junkyard thinking over what the nurse had said. A couple of minutes later he sat up nodding his head. "Thanks, Vonnie" he whispered as he stood and offered her a hand getting up. "Come on, we better go rescue Bobby from Sam before the kid drives him crazy."

Upstairs

Sam slowly opened his eyes frowning as he took in the empty bed in front of him. Shaking his head he reached up to rub the sleep out of his eyes.

"Don't do that Sam" Bobby ordered walking into the room. "No using your hands, remember?"

"Sorry" Sam muttered. He levered himself up on his elbows struggling to sit the rest of the way up.

Seeing the boy's plight Bobby walked over to the bed and pulled Sam up to lean against the headboard. "That better?" he asked.

"Yeah, thanks Bobby" Sam replied with a grin. Kicking the blankets off his legs he looked at the older man in shock. "Bobby, what happened to my…oh God! Please tell me you didn't." he groaned.

"I did" Bobby admitted chuckling at Sam's red face. "Don't know what the big deal is. I've dressed and undressed you more times than I can count."

"Bobby!" Sam shouted turning even redder. Wanting to get out of the room before Bobby could say anything else Sam threw his legs over the side of the bed and shakily stood.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Bobby asked as he wrapped an arm around the younger man's waist to steady him.

"I've gotta go to the bathroom." Sam replied as they shuffled out of the room and into the hall. "So, if you'll excuse me…"

"Sorry Sam. Afraid you're stuck with me for a while." Bobby said.

"No, no way, You are not helping me with that. " Sam adamantly stated attempting to pull himself out of Bobby's grasp. "I can manage just fine on my own, thank you very much."

"Sam, what part of you cannot use your hands do you not understand?" Bobby gruffly asked. "Look I know this isn't easy for you. It's not a bed of roses for me either. But the fact of the matter is that you're going to need help until the doc gives the okay for you to use your hands. Now quit your hedging and come on."

"No Bobby" Sam whispered. "I'll be really careful just please let me do it myself."

"Sorry Sam" Bobby replied, "But I…"

"It's okay Bobby" Dean called as he came down the hall. "I've got him." Gently taking Sam's arm he led his brother into the bathroom and shut the door.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

AN- You have Kokoda2007 to thank for the first scene. It was all her idea. :D

Previously on Supernatural- Gently taking Sam's arm he led his brother into the bathroom and shut the door.

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"Alright Sam, let's get this over with so we can eat." Dean said leading his brother over to the toilet and grabbing the waistband of his boxers.

"No, no wait Dean" Sam protested as he tried to squirm out of his big brother's hold. "You really don't have to help me with this. I can do it."

"Uh huh, and just how are you gonna do that without using your hands?" Dean asked. Watching his giant of a baby brother fidget as he attempted to come up with an acceptable answer the older Winchester sighed. "Look Sam, like it or not you gonna need help for the next few days. So you can either let me help you or call Bobby in here. Now who's it gonna be? Me or Bobby?"

"You" Sam whispered staring anywhere but at his brother.

Nodding his head Dean got a hold of the younger man's boxers once more. "Don't worry Sam. I'll be gentle" he teased.

"DEAN!" Sam cried turning a deep crimson.

"Dude, you are way too easy to wind up." Dean chuckled as he began to tug on the boxers. "It's not like I haven't done this before. I helped potty train you, remember?"

"Yeah, when I was two" Sam replied.

"Try three and a half" Dean corrected smirking at Sammy's mortified expression.

"I was not!" he angrily argued.

"Afraid so" Dean snickered. "Nothing we tried worked; not even the potty training book I snitched from a library. I was starting to think we'd never get you outta diapers."

"Was I really that hardheaded?" Sam calmly questioned. He was starting to enjoy this rare conversation with his big brother even if it was an uncomfortable topic. This was the most Dean had spoken to him in days and Sam wanted to keep it going as long as he could.

"I thought you were" Dean began.

"But?" Sam prodded when his brother didn't continue.

"But Pastor Jim, he, umm, he let me in on the truth a couple of years ago." Dean told the younger man. "I had gotten hurt on a hunt with Caleb; got pushed out a second story window by the ghost of a murder victim. Had a broken leg and ribs and more stitches than I could count. Anyway, Pastor Jim took me in and looked after me for a while and he'd tell me all these stories about hunts he'd been on or about things you and I did when we were little. And this one day he started telling me about your potty training days; he even rattled off all the things we tried that didn't work."

"Great" Sam muttered closing his eyes. He couldn't believe his dad had shared that particular story with everyone.

Dean glanced up at Sammy for a moment before continuing. "Where was I? Oh yeah, I said something about you been a stubborn little brat and he just smiled and said that you usually were but not that time. He had gotten a call from, from" Dean's voice dropped and he took a deep breath. "He got a call asking his advice about the situation and he said that he, umm, he told d, him that he knew it was coming. See, when d-d-dad changed you, he always played with you too; tickling you or blowing raspberries on your belly. It was like your playtime or something. Didn't matter what kind of mood or how badly hurt he was he always played with you. Pastor Jim told him to set up some time during the day for the three of us to play. And that once you were sure he would still spend time with you you'd stop fighting the potty training."

"That's when d, he started playing with us right before bed, isn't it?" Sam asked with a smile.

"Yeah" Dean said. "Jim was right. Took us two weeks of playing every night but after that it was a breeze to get you trained and out of diapers."

"I always wondered where that came from" Sam whispered jumping at the sound of the toilet flushing.

"What's a matter, Sam? Afraid the Tidy Bowl man is gonna reach out and drag you down the drain?" Dean joked laughing at his brother's glare.

"I was five!" Sam protested. "And you were the one that told me he grabbed little boys by their…"

"Still can't believe you fell for that one!" Dean crowed as he led his little brother out the door and across the hall. Grabbing the blankets he pushed Sam down on the bed and tossed the covers over his legs. Picking the thermometer up off the table he gently inserted it in Sam's ear and pushed the button ignoring the younger man's muttered 'I'm fine!' Hearing the beep Dean glanced at the read out and frowned. He snatched up the pill bottle and carefully read the directions before saying, "I'm going down to get us some breakfast. You lie down and rest till I get back. Got it?"

"But I'm…"Sam began.

"I swear if you say fine, I'll, I'll call old lady Simpkins and ask her to give you your bath!" Dean threatened.

"You wouldn't" Sam challenged.

"Try me" Dean coolly replied. Smirking as his little brother quickly fell back and closed his eyes the older man turned and walked out the door.

Dean walked back in the room a few minutes later tray in hand. Walking to his bed he carefully set the tray down before stepping over to Sam's. Looking down at his sleeping little brother Dean smiled. Reaching down he tenderly carded a hand through Sammy's chestnut locks. "Night Sammy" he whispered before going back to his own bed.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

Previously on Supernatural-"Night Sammy" he whispered before going back to his own bed.

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Bobby glanced over to the kitchen entryway at the sound of boots clomping down the stairs. Smiling as the Winchester brothers shuffled over to the kitchen table he looked back down at the boiling pot of water on the stove before turning off the heat and setting the pot on another burner to cool. "How're you feeling Sam?" he asked as he walked over to the cabinets to grab a couple of plates.

"Better, just tired. Those meds really knock me out." Sam yawned blushing as his stomach gurgled loudly. "Guess I'm a little hungry, too."

"One late lunch coming right up." Bobby replied. Picking up a hot dog with his fork the older man pulled it out of the pot and set it on one of the plates. After filling both plates, Bobby picked up a knife and quickly cut the hot dogs on one plate into bite sized pieces. He added a handful of chips to both plates and then carried them over to the table and set them in front of the two men. "Eat up. I got something I need to talk to the both of you about."

"What is it, Bobby?" Sam asked shooting a glare at his brother when Dean slapped his hand away from his plate.

"No touching" Dean reminded Sammy. Smirking he stabbed a piece of hot dog and popped it in his brother's mouth as he asked, "What's up, Bobby?"

"Josh called a while ago. Said he needed help with a problem." Bobby vaguely stated.

"I don't remember the phone ringing." Dean said as he bit off half a hot dog.

"What kind of problem?" Sam questioned shaking his head at his big brother's eating habits.

"He called my cell phone" Bobby clarified. "And I'm not sure about the problem. Josh just said that he was in Florida and that he was in over his head. I told him that we would help him out."

"No problem" Dean answered swallowing the mouthful of food. Wiping his hands he grabbed a handful of chips and stood. "I can be through with the impala by the end of the week. And Sam's hands should be better by then, too."

"No can do, Dean. Josh needs help now." Bobby informed the hunter. "I told him we'd leave first thing in the morning. With you and me taking turns driving we should be there in a little over twenty four hours give or take."

"Bobby, Sam can't ride all the way to Florida in your truck. He'd be so cramped from sitting in that tiny space that he wouldn't be able to move by the time we got there." Dean pointed out stuffing another hot dog bite in Sam's mouth.

"Already taken care of" Bobby said with a grin. "I talked with Vonnie and she's agreed to let us take their Winnebago. It'll be a per…"

"Hell, no! I am not riding in an RV!" Dean hollered. "That's worse than that soccer mom mobile you gave us for the last hunt!"

"I think it's a good idea" Sam softly mumbled.

"That figures" Dean huffed. "Let me guess; it sounds like some normal family thing, huh Sam? Well too damn bad. We ain't a normal family! We're not even a family anymore, not since d-d…you know what, forget it!" Dean stomped out of the house slamming the back door as he went.

"I know what you were trying to do. Thanks, Bobby." Sam whispered staring down at the table. "And don't worry. I'll be fine riding in your truck. It's okay, really."

"No, it's not" Bobby muttered under his breath. Glancing over at John's youngest and see the defeated posture the old hunter decided to change the subject for now. Laying a hand on the boy's slumped shoulder he said, "Hey, Sam. You don't have to take the meds for a couple more hours yet. Why don't we go upstairs so you can take a bath? It might make you feel better."

"No offense Bobby, but I really can't handle you helping me with that." Sam muttered not looking up.

"What about Dean? He could…"

"Don't call him, Bobby!" Sam blurted out. "Uhh I mean, no thanks. I don't think that's a good idea right now."

"Well I do have one other idea. If you're uncomfortable with the idea of me or Dean helping you, we could call Vonnie." Bobby suggested. "She said she'd be happy to help anyway she could and she's a nurse so it wouldn't be embarrassing for you. It's not like you've got anything she hasn't seen before. What do you say? Want me to call her?"

"Not sure about the not being embarrassed part" Sam mumbled with a blush, "but I think you're right. It would definitely be easier than you or Dean helping."

"Alright then, let's get you settled on the couch and I'll call her." Bobby replied. Offering a hand he helped Sam stand and then walked the young man into the living room. He waited for Sam to take a seat on the couch before going over to the phone and calling Vonnie. After a short conversation Bobby hung up the phone. "She said she'd be right over." He told the youngster. "Just sit right there till she gets here. I'm gonna go outside and see if I can talk some sense into that pigheaded brother of yours."

"Bobby, wait" Sam called out rising from his spot on the sofa, "you don't have to…"

"Sam, sit!" Bobby ordered pointing to the well worn couch. "Good, now stay!"

"Arf" Sam obediently barked.

"Cute" Bobby muttered shaking his head. Giving the youngest Winchester his best John Winchester glare Bobby turned and walked out of the room. He had another Winchester that he needed to deal with.

In the salvage yard

Dean lay under the impala furiously working on the undercarriage as he mentally cursed himself out. He hadn't meant to snap at Sam the way he did. He wasn't even made at the kid. He just couldn't deal right now. Everything seemed to remind him of what he had lost and the RV had been the straw that broke the camel's back. He couldn't recall how many times he and Sam had seen RV families smiling and laughing around fires or playing games while the two of them were stuck in some crap hole motel or trailer. As a kid he had dreamed of his family riding across the country in an RV laughing and joking like all those normal families; their dad smiling as he drove down the highway to the next family fun spot. Dean had always known that would never happen but somewhere in the back of his mind he'd hoped he was wrong. But now thinking of that dream and knowing for sure that it could never happen hurt more than Dean could stand. Hearing footsteps approaching the young man sighed. He really wished Sam would just leave him alone for a while. Shoving out from under the car he hollered, "What the hell do you wa…Bobby?"

"You and I gotta have a talk Dean" Bobby calmly stated. Stopping a few feet from the boy and his precious car the older man crossed his arms. "Mind telling me what that was about back there?"

"As a matter a fact I do." Dean threw back. "So if you don't mind, I'll just go back to my work and…OW! What the hell was that for?!"

Replacing his cap on his head Bobby glared at the young man in front of him. "That was for the smart mouth." He growled. "Now let's try this again. What's going on, Dean?"

"Nothing" Dean fibbed dropping his gaze to the dirt. "I just don't want to ride in another freaking mom mobile."

"So, you'd rather Sam was miserable?" Bobby prodded.

"No, of course not" Dean grumbled. "But we could take her Jeep. Sam could stretch out in the back seat. It wouldn't be as nice as a bed but he'd be alright. What made you ask about the RV anyway? I thought you'd said they were giant sized gas guzzlers and that it was stupid to put all that stuff in a vehicle; that that was what hotels were for."

"I was thinking of Sam" Bobby confessed. "I know the meds are gonna keep him pretty much knocked out and there's a huge bed in the RV. And it has a small kitchen so we could take food with us to cook on the way."

"Or we can just stop at diners like we always do." Dean suggested giving Bobby a "duh" look.

"And you don't think it's gonna bother Sam to have you feeding him in front of all those strangers like some baby?" Bobby asked watching as the light bulb went off in Dean's head. "Not to mention what it'll be like for the both of you to go into bathroom stalls together. I can just imagine what the guys at truck stops will think of that."

"Crap! I hadn't even thought about that." Dean groaned slapping a hand over his face. "Guess you better call Vonnie and tell her we'll take her up on the offer."

"Tell her yourself." Bobby replied. "She's inside helping Sam take a bath."

In the house

Nurse Vonnie slid the boxers down Sam's long legs and tossed them in the hamper. Taking the young man's arm she helped the boy lower himself into the huge tub stifling a laugh as the boy snatched a washcloth and quickly covered himself up as much as he could. Grabbing another cloth off the rack Vonnie wet it and poured a drop of soap on it before reaching over and running the cloth across Sam's muscular chest. Glancing up at the hunter's beet red face the nurse set about trying to distract the boy while she worked. "You know Sam, I don't think I ever told you about the first time I met you guys." She began as she slowly made her way down the boy's chest to his abs. "Your dad had gotten hurt on a hunt and he was my patient. I'd never met a man as aggravating as your daddy. He flat out refused to let me give him a bath; had to threaten to sedate him and then bathe him in front of a group of interns and candy stripers to get him to agree. And even then he…"

"Oh God, please stop" Sam groaned. "That's one image of my dad I really don't need."

"Okay honey" Vonnie agreed with a snicker. "How about this?" Adding more soap to the cloth she carefully washed the young man's legs and feet as she told him all about her family in Germany and how much she missed them. Finishing up his back and arms the nurse gazed at the young man and said, "Sam sweetie, you're gonna have to move that wash cloth now so I can finish." Seeing Sammy's reluctance she added, "Come on Sam. I'll make it quick, I promise. Don't make me get the interns in here." She waited for the boy to slowly remove the cloth and then soaped up her wash rag once more and gently went to work.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

Previously on Supernatural- She waited for the boy to slowly remove the cloth and then soaped up her wash rag once more and gently went to work.

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"All done, Sam" Vonnie informed the red faced young man. Wringing out the washcloth she threw it into the hamper before adding, "Now that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"No ma'am" Sam agreed giving the nurse a dimpled smile. "Thanks for helping me out."

"It was my pleasure, honey" Nurse Vonnie replied as she snatched a fluffy, tan towel off the rack. "Come on now, let's get you outta that tub before you shrivel up like a prune." Setting the towel on the floor beside the tub Vonnie slid an arm around Sam's waist and slowly helped him stand and step out of the tub. Grabbing the towel off the floor she quickly wrapped it around the young man's waist to protect his modesty before leading him over to the toilet and pushing him down to sit on the closed lid. Taking another overly soft towel from the rack Vonnie began drying the youngest Winchester off keeping up a steady conversation the whole time to distract Sammy from the embarrassment the situation was surely creating. After thoroughly drying the younger man off, Vonnie grabbed a comb off the counter and tackled Sam's unruly mop of hair. It took her several minutes but the nurse was finally able to get the boy's chestnut locks untangled and smoothed down. Vonnie then put down the comb and picked up the clean pair of boxers that was lying nearby. She held the boxers while Sam put his feet in and then slowly slid them up his legs stopping at his knees. Helping the hunter stand once more Nurse Vonnie tugged the towel off and threw it into the hamper before pulling the boxers up the rest of the way. Once that task was finished she snatched the baby blue tee shirt and dark sweatpants off the counter and gently finished dressing the young man. "Alright Sam, let's go" Vonnie ordered as she opened the door and led him across the hall to the bedroom. "I wanna check the burns on your hands before I leave."

"Okay" Sam softly replied following Vonnie into the bedroom.

In the yard

Dean walked around the enormous white Winnebago grimacing in disgust. It was easily the ugliest vehicle the young hunter had ever laid eyes on from the ladder covering one side of the back to the front grill with the long white 'fangs' Vonnie's husband had evidently added to make it look like a mouth full of sharp teeth. Shaking his head at the idea of driving the monstrosity the young man strode over to the door on the side and, taking a deep breath, stepped up inside. Surprise covered his face as he took in the extremely comfortable looking interior. An elegant tan leather sofa sat directly in front of the door. A counter complete with a microwave, coffee maker, and stove ran from the end of the sofa to a tall door. Wondering if that was the world's smallest bathroom Dean walked over and opened the door mouth dropping open at the bottles of beer lining the top shelf of the refrigerator. _"This might not be half bad"_ he thought to himself as he shut the door and walked the few steps into the bedroom. "Yep, not bad at all." He muttered glancing from the queen sized bed and flat screen TV in the bedroom to the bathroom that housed a toilet and a small shower. Hearing footsteps Dean turned and grinned at Bobby. "Dude, this place is better than most motels we stay in." he said eyes widening as he caught sight of another flat screen TV hanging above the driver and passenger seats.

"Told ya" Bobby muttered. "Now how about putting your eyes back in your head and coming back to the house? I need to take Vonnie home and do some grocery shopping before we leave tomorrow and I don't want Sam to be in there by himself." Turning the old hunter walked back down the steps knowing John's oldest would follow.

Dean walked down the stairs of the RV and carefully closed the door before hurrying to catch up with Bobby. Once he was alongside the older man Dean slowed his pace to match his friends'. "Grocery shopping, Bobby?" he asked with a frown. "Don't you think you have enough in that fridge of yours to hold us till we get there?"

"Yeah, but I figured I'd make a casserole for Sam. I wanna make sure we have something he'll actually eat if those pills and the riding mess with his stomach." Bobby explained. "And I thought I'd pick up some microwave popcorn for the movies I know we'll be watching and maybe even the fixings for an ice cream cake."

"Ice cream cake?" Dean repeated licking his lips. "You're gonna make…well, what are you waiting for old man, get a move on! You've got shopping to do!"

Chuckling Bobby watched Dean practically fly up the porch steps and in the front door. "Works every time" he mumbled as he slowly walked up the steps.

Upstairs

"Sammy! Hey, Sammy you decent in there?" Dean called as he knocked on the bedroom door. Hearing a muffled 'come in Dean' he pushed the door open and stepped inside. Seeing the nurse working on Sam's hands the older brother quickly walked over and stood beside Nurse Vonnie. Peering over her shoulder Dean fought the urge to grimace at the sight of his little brother's red, blistered hands. Swallowing he carefully schooled his expression before asking, "How's it look?"

"Not too bad considering how long they went untreated." Vonnie replied as she gently applied more burn cream to the younger man's hands being careful of the blisters that littered both hands. Feeling Dean's eyes watching her every move she sighed. Knowing that he wanted details she began explaining as she worked. "The broken blisters here and here" she said pointing, "are the source of the infection. Since Sam kept using his hands after he burned them, some of the blisters burst which aided them in getting infected because they weren't covered or treated." Setting the cream down Vonnie picked up the gauze and carefully started wrapping the injured limbs. "But Sam's hands should heal completely. He just has to remember to apply the burn cream and change the bandages several times a day." She added patting the youngest Winchester on the shoulder. "And make sure he takes the whole prescription. No stopping just because he's feeling better."

"Don't worry Vonnie. I'll make sure he takes every single pill." Dean assured smirking at his little brother's groan. "Thanks for taking care of Sammy for me. And thanks for letting us borrow your RV. It'll make getting to Florida a lot easier on the kid here."

"Anytime Dean" Vonnie replied pulling off the plastic gloves and throwing them in the trash can. "Now, if you boys will excuse me, I'm gonna find Bobby and head on home. I wanna make sure I get home before my children. No telling what kind of chaos they could cause if they were home alone."

Dean walked Vonnie to the bedroom door and gave her a quick hug. "Thanks for everything Vonnie" he whispered before kissing her cheek.

"You're welcome" she whispered back. "Be careful on the road. One hurt Winchester is more than enough."

"You got it" Dean agreed crossing his heart.

"Bye Sam" Vonnie called. She waved to the young man on the bed and then turned and walked out the door.

"Bye Vonnie! Thanks!" Sam hollered as the nurse left. He watched his big brother close the door and walk over to the bed. Dropping his gaze to his hands as his brother sat down beside him Sam mumbled, "I know what you're doing, Dean and you don't have to. I'll be fine in Bobby's truck."

"You won't and you know it" Dean pointed out. "Besides I checked out the RV and it's pretty cool. There's two flat screen TVs and a fridge full of beer and Bobby said he's making an ice cream cake to take with us."

"Really Dean you don't have to pretend to like it." Sam repeated. "And we don't have to take it. Bobby's truck isn't that bad."

"Sam, did you not hear me?" Dean huffed. "Bobby's making ice cream cake. Ice cream cake, Sammy! You know with the ice cream and hot fudge and all that other stuff! We can't carry that in Bobby's truck. It'd melt before we ever left the state! Nope, we're taking the RV. End of story. Now get your lazy butt up and come on. There's a Friday the 13th movie marathon on the sci-fi channel."

"Isn't that the one where all those kids run away from some guy in a hockey mask?" Sam asked as he stood and followed his brother.

"Yeah, it's always good for a couple of laughs." Dean replied leading Sammy into the hallway. "I mean, really the guy never even runs. He just slowly walks after them. How scary is that? I bet even Missouri could outrun that dude."

"I'll make sure I tell her you said that." Sam teased ducking the punch Dean sent his way. "Then we'll see who can outrun whom."

"Do that and I'll let slip what you said about her cooking." Dean joked laughing at his little brother's horrified look. Reaching the stairs he took Sam's elbow and helped his brother down the stairs and over to the tattered couch. Pushing his brother down on the couch he reached over to the coffee table and snatched up the remote. Flicking on the TV Dean swiftly flipped through the channels until the familiar masked figure appeared on screen. "Be right back" he told Sam before disappearing into the kitchen. Minutes later he returned with a bowl of popcorn in one hand and two bottles in the other. Plopping down on the sofa beside Sam Dean settled the bowl in his lap before setting the bottled water on the coffee table in front of Sam. Taking a swig of his beer the older brother smiled at his younger sibling, "Sorry Sammy, no beer for you." He happily stated nearly choking on his beer when Sam tried to give him a one fingered salute.

"Jerk" Sam fondly muttered as he leaned back against the couch and attempted to make himself comfortable. Glancing at Dean he felt the corners of his mouth turn up. His big brother was actually spending time with him again. Maybe things were gonna be okay after all.

A few hours later

Sam awoke to find himself alone in the darkened living room. Looking over at the TV he saw that the marathon was still playing even though the sound had been turned almost all the way down. Sitting up he wiped the drool off his face with the back of his hand and stretched. Glancing at the clock above the fireplace Sam was surprised to see that he had slept for three hours. Shaking his head he stood and started shuffling toward the kitchen where he could hear Dean and Bobby's muffled voices. He was halfway to the door when Bobby's voice rang out stopping him in his tracks.

"Your daddy said something to you before he died, didn't he?"

Sam stood frozen waiting for his big brother's answer.

"Yeah, he did" drifted into the room. "He sent Sammy out of the room to get him some coffee and then he said, he said he loved, loved me and that he was, was proud of me."

Sam quietly backed away from the kitchen face crumbling as Dean's words echoed over and over in his head. "He knew what was gonna happen. He knew and he wanted to be with Dean, not me." Sam thought eyes filling with tears. Looking away from the door his eyes fell on a photo of a smiling John standing behind his sons with a hand on both boys' shoulders. "Dad didn't, he didn't love me" he mumbled as the tears began to roll down his cheeks. Heart breaking Sam turned and fled up the stairs.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

Previously on Supernatural-"Dad didn't, he didn't love me" he mumbled as the tears began to roll down his cheeks. Heart breaking Sam turned and fled up the stairs.

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"Well, I'll be damned! Johnny finally opened up and told you boys how he felt about you!" Bobby exclaimed. "I've been telling the old coot to do that for years! Didn't think he'd ever get up the nerve to do it though."

"Old coot? Bobby you do know dad's younger than you, right?" Dean asked.

"So? It's better than some of the names he's called me over the years." Bobby pointed out as he opened the oven and carefully lifted the casserole dish out. Setting it on stove to cool he threw the hot pads on the counter and walked over to the table taking a seat across from Dean. "You know I always thought that Johnny's biggest mistake was not telling you and Sam how he felt about you. I mean everybody who met him could see just how deeply he loved you two. And the way he'd brag about you and Sam when you weren't around. He proudly told anybody who'd listen about his super smart boys."

"Don't you mean boy, Bobby?" Dean corrected. "As in Sammy getting a full ride to Stanford?"

"I mean boys" Bobby replied smiling at the confusion on the younger man's face. "John would always tell folks how his sons got full rides to Stanford and MIT."

"Dad knew about that?" Dean asked.

"Course he did, kiddo." Bobby said smiling at the memory of John's face when he heard the news. "I don't know what he was more proud of; the fact that you got a full ride or that you turned it down to keep hunting."

"He never said" Dean mumbled. Picking up his coffee cup he twisted it around nervously. "I told that teacher not to send that crap off; thought I'd managed to talk him out of it until he called me to his room that day. You should have seen his face when I turned it down. I thought the guy's mouth was gonna hit the floor. Wish I'd had a camera; I could have won a million dollars with that expression."

"You didn't even think about it, did you?" Bobby softly asked as he got up to get the plates and silverware.

"Nothing to think about. I knew where I belonged and it wasn't at some stuffy old school." Dean stated dropping his mug as a thought hit him. "Shit! That's why dad was so pissed with Sammy! He figured the kid would do the same thing I did!"

"Yep, tried to tell him Sam would be different but the old fart refused to listen." Bobby told the young hunter. "Speaking of Sam, you need to go wake him up so he can eat. He was supposed to have his meds over an hour ago."

"On my way" Dean said as he stood and walked into the living room. "Wake up Sammy! It's chow…" Dean stopped midsentence as the empty sofa came into view. "Huh, guess he had to go" he thought heading to the hallway. After finding no trace of his brother in the downstairs bathroom, the older brother hurried up the stairs opening every door he came to along the way. Making it to their bedroom Dean glanced from the closed bedroom door to the open bathroom and back. Frowning he slowly opened the door to their room and walked inside. Finding his little brother curled into a ball on his bed Dean became immediately concerned. He sprinted over to Sam's bed and carefully sat down on the edge behind his brother. "Sammy? Sammy, you okay?" he whispered.

Not wanting his big brother to know he'd been crying Sam stayed silent. Keeping his back to Dean he shook his head hoping his brother would just leave him be.

Worried when his little brother didn't answer Dean got up and walked around to the other side of the bed. He needed to see Sam's face. Taking a seat by Sam's knees Dean leaned down and ran a hand through the younger man's chestnut locks. "Come on kiddo, what's wrong?" Dean asked taking his brother's chin and pulling his face out of the pillow. His worry meter flew off the scale as he took in the tear tracks on his little brother's face. "Crap, Sammy! Are you hurting that bad? Why didn't you say anything?"

Not wanting Dean to know he'd overheard him and Bobby Sam said the one thing that was guaranteed to stop the questions. "I'm, I'm fine, Dean" he rasped out dropping his gaze to his hands.

"Uh huh, sure you are" Dean huffed rubbing Sam's back. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes he gave his brother's back a pat and stood up. "You should have said something Sammy. Bobby and I could have given you something earlier. Just hold on, okay? I'm gonna go fix you a plate so you can take your meds."

"Not hungry" Sam protested feeling queasy at just the mention of food.

"Tough" Dean said. "You gotta eat before you take your meds or you'll be sick. Now sit tight. I'll be right back."

Sam sighed as he watched his brother walk out the door. He'd just wanted a little time alone to deal with what he'd just learned but it looked like he wasn't going to get it. Knowing that Dean would make him eat the youngest Winchester slowly sat up in bed and leaned against the headboard. He hoped that Dean brought something light. He didn't think his stomach could handle much right now and he really hoped his big brother didn't bring him any…

"Soup's on!" Dean announced with a smile as he walked back into the room carrying a tray loaded with heaping plates of casserole and two mugs of hot coffee. The smile fell however as Sam leapt out of the bed and darted past him one hand covering his mouth. Hearing the unmistakable sounds of his little brother being sick Dean dropped the tray onto his bed and raced across the hall to the bathroom. Snatching a wash cloth off the rack he ran it under the faucet before settling it on the back of Sam's neck. Kneeling beside his younger sibling Dean rubbed his brother's back with one hand while using the other to hold Sam's hair back. "It's okay buddy. It's okay. Just get it all out." he whispered. Hearing footsteps Dean glanced over his shoulder to see Bobby at the door.

"Anything I can do?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah, can you take that tray back downstairs? I think the smell is making things worse." Dean suggested. "And can you call Vonnie and ask her what we need to do?"

"You got it" Bobby replied before turning and hurrying to the boys' bedroom.

Dean focused his attention back on his sick little brother. He continued to whisper assurances and comfort Sam until the bout of sickness finally started to taper off. Several dry heaves later Dean helped his brother sit back against the wall. Once he was sure Sam wouldn't fall over the older brother stood and flushed the toilet. Going to the sink he grabbed the glass off the counter and filled it with cool water. Taking it back over Dean handed it to Sam who quickly rinsed the foul aftertaste out of his mouth. After setting the glass back on the counter, Dean leaned down and placing his hands under Sam's armpits lifted his brother into a standing position. Draping Sam's right arm over his shoulder Dean slowly led his unsteady little brother back to the bedroom and his bed. He waited for Sammy to slowly lie back and then gently removed the younger man's boots. Grabbing the blanket that had fallen to the floor in all the chaos the older brother tenderly tucked his sibling in. "Try to sleep, Sammy" he instructed running a hand through the mop of brown hair. He watched as his little brother's eyes blinked a couple of times before closing for good. Dean sat with his ill sibling for a few minutes wanting to make sure Sammy was sleeping peacefully and then stood and silently walked to the door. After glancing at the sleeping young man once more, Dean turned and walked out of the room and down the hall. Not wanting to leave Sam alone for long he hurried down the stairs, through the living room, and into the kitchen where Bobby was waiting for him. "Did you talk to Vonnie? What'd she say?" he anxiously questioned.

"Relax Dean" Bobby instructed. "Vonnie said that nausea is a side effect of the pain meds. But for you not to worry, that she'll bring us a different prescription tomorrow morning before we leave."

"But what about tonight? Sammy was hurting so bad he was crying, Bobby. He's not going to make it all night without something for the pain and I don't think he'll be able to swallow anything without barfing it back up." Dean pointed out.

"Well, she did have one suggestion but you're not gonna like it." Bobby said as he stood and walked to the fridge.

"What? What did she say, Bob..." Dean froze as he took in the package that the older hunter took out of the freezer. "Oh Hell no! No way! Not happening! I am not giving him those!"


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

Previously on Supernatural- "What? What did she say, Bob..." Dean froze as he took in the package that the older hunter took out of the freezer. "Oh Hell no! No way! Not happening! I am not giving him those!"

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"I told Vonnie you'd say that." Bobby chuckled placing the small box back in the freezer. "But she made me promise to at least tell you her suggestion. And to tell you that it was either use those or let Sammy suffer all night."

"Crap!" Dean exclaimed running a hand across his face. "Guess I don't really have a choice, do I?"

"Doesn't sound like it" Bobby agreed shaking his head.

"Fine, I'm going" Dean grumbled as he stood and made his way to the fridge. "But Sammy owes me big time for this."

"Wait Dean" Bobby called out. "Is Sam sleeping?"

"Yea, he fell asleep as soon as I got him back into bed." Dean replied. "Why?"

"Leave him be for now. If he wakes up hurting later on, then you can, uhh, give him the meds." Bobby instructed. "For now just let the poor kid sleep. And get yourself something to eat. I don't need another sick Winchester on my hands. One's bad enough."

"Thanks Bobby" Dean said letting out a relieved breathe. Closing the freezer door he went over to the stove and got a plate off the tray Bobby had brought down. Going to the table he dropped down in a chair and scooped up a heaping spoonful of casserole. Minutes later he took his now empty plate over to the counter and quickly refilled it.

"Hey, save some for your brother" Bobby teased lightly swatting the back of Dean's head.

"Don't worry old man. There'll be plenty left for barf boy." Dean replied with a smirk. "I gotta save room for that ice cream cake anyway."

"Afraid that won't be ready till morning." Bobby informed the younger man. Laughing at the pout on the boy's face the old hunter decided to cut the kid a break. Going to the stove he grabbed a couple of pot holders and carefully pulled out a cookie sheet with a medium sized aluminum pan on top. Setting the piping hot dish on the stove he turned to Dean. "Figured you boys might want some desert tonight so I stopped by Ms. Jane's shop on the way home and bought a blackberry cobbler."

"You got any…"

"Ice cream's in the freezer Dean" Bobby called out as he picked two bowls off the top shelf of the cabinet by the sink.

"Bobby, you're the best!" Dean exclaimed grabbing the vanilla ice cream out of the freezer and setting it on the table. Hurrying to the silverware drawer he took out the ice cream scoop and two spoons and rushed back to the table. His mouth watered as he watched Bobby scoop two enormous helpings of cobbler into the bowls and bring them to the table. Ripping the plastic off the ice cream box Dean threw open the top and scooped two globs of vanilla on both cobblers. Dropping the scoop into the ice cream box the younger man snatched up his spoon and shoved a huge bite in his mouth. "Oh man! This is awesome!"

Shaking his head at the Winchester boy's antics Bobby put the ice cream away and tossed the scoop in the sink before sitting down and digging into his own bowl. The kid definitely knew what he was talking about. Ms. Jane made the best cobbler in town.

Once the men had devoured their desert they both worked together to clear the table and wash the dishes. They then grabbed their coffee mugs and went into the living room. Settling into his beat up old recliner Bobby flicked on the TV and flipped through the stations stopping on a ghost hunting show. "Hey Dean, you gotta watch this." He said pointing at the screen. "These guys are a hoot!"

Snorting Dean rolled his eyes. "Not those dudes. They're worse than the two nitwits Sam and I ran into on that Tulpa hunt." he groaned heading for the stairs. "I'm gonna go check on Sammy. I'll be back to make fun of the idgits in a minute." Dean hurried up the stairs and down the hall to the bedroom he and Sam had shared since they were kids. After peering in and seeing that his little brother was still sleeping, he silently crept through the room stopping at Sam's bedside. The older brother carefully checked the younger man's face for any sign of discomfort. Finding none he reached down and palmed Sam's cheek to check for fever smiling as his sleeping sibling leaned into his touch. Satisfied that Sammy was sleeping peacefully for now Dean tugged the blankets up a little higher and then tiptoed out of the room.

A few hours later

"Man, I don't know who's worse; the so called hunters or the people that let them into their house and then hang on their every word." Dean groused. "I mean, those guys don't even pretend to get rid of the "spirit" and the people of the house are thanking them. We actually toast the ghosts and other freaks and people avoid us like the plague. There's something seriously wrong with that picture, man."

"That's because they're on TV and we're out there in the trenches, Dean. People want a few magic words to make everything alright. They don't want to know what's really out there cause that would mean that their little world isn't the safe place they want it to be." Bobby explained as he turned off the television. Standing he stretched sighing as his back gave a loud pop. "Come on, Dean. Time to hit the hay. We need to get an early start tomorrow."

Dean glanced at the clock chuckling as he read the time. "Eleven o'clock? Getting old there grandpa" he teased. "Should I go get a cane for ya?"

"Do that and I'll stick it where the sun don't shine, boy" Bobby threatened aiming a swat at Dean's head.

Jumping out of reach of Bobby's hand the younger man held up both hands in surrender. "Geez, you get ornery when you're tired." He grumbled. "Go on to bed grumpy. I'm just gonna stay up a little longer. It's way too early for me to call it a night."

"Early or not, you're going" Bobby ordered taking the remote out of the boy's hand. "We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow not to mention a sick Sam to take care of. Besides all those trips you've been making up and down the stairs to check on your brother are wearing out my staircase. Go on upstairs and keep an eye on the kid. And try to get some sleep yourself."

"Fine" Dean huffed. Standing he headed for the stairs. "Night Bobby"

"Night Dean" Bobby called over his shoulder. "Be up and ready to eat and hit the road by six."

"Got it" Dean replied as he started up the steps. As he climbed the stairs and walked down the hall he went over the list he things he had already packed and the things that had to wait till morning. Taking a sip of his coffee Dean quietly walked into their bedroom. After checking on Sam once more, he set his coffee mug on the nightstand between the two beds and grabbed his duffle. Deciding to take a shower before he called it a night, Dean pulled clean boxers, a shirt, and sweat pants out of his duffle and walked across the hall to the bathroom. Reaching into the shower he turned on the water before setting his clothes on the toilet lid and disrobing. Dean groaned as he stepped under the pulsating spray as the hot water pounded and relaxed all his tense muscles. Not wanting to leave Sam alone too long he snatched up the soap and made quick work of washing off the day's dirt and grime. Dean gave himself a few more minutes of just standing and relaxing before he reluctantly turned off the shower and stepped out. Grabbing a towel off the rack he dried off and reached for his clothes. He had just finished pulling on his pants when a knocking sound came from the vicinity of their bedroom. _"What now?"_ Dean thought as he raced across the hall and into the bedroom. Gazing at the windows he noticed that both were closed and there were no trees or anything close enough to be making a banging noise. Hearing the sound again Dean turned towards the bed cursing as he spotted the source of the strange sound. Hurrying over to his brother's bed Dean gently took hold of Sam's left arm to stop his hand from slamming against the nightstand again. Keeping a firm grip on the arm he sat on the edge of the bed beside his sleeping brother. "Sammy, Sammy wake up kiddo" he called shaking the boy's shoulder. He smiled as confused eyes blinked up at him. "You okay, Sammy?" he asked seeing the boy suddenly pale.

Sam stared up at Dean as the nightmare images and accusations continued to play out in his head. An overpowering smell started his stomach roiling and his head spinning. Knowing what was coming he broke out of his big brother's hold and sprinted to the bathroom dropping to his knees in front of the toilet. He fumbled with the lid for a moment before strong hands pushed it up and out of the way for him just as his stomach rebelled.

"_Aww Sammy"_ Dean thought as he knelt beside his little brother. He stayed by Sam's side through the latest bout of sickness rubbing the younger boy's back and whispering soothingly to him. Once Sam was finished Dean helped him sit back and rinse his mouth out before standing. "Ready to get back to bed, Sammy?" he asked.

"No" Sam rasped dropping his head to his chest.

"Okay" Dean agreed. "You stay here and rest. I'm gonna go get your meds out of the freezer. I won't be long."

"Freezer?" Sam whispered slowly raising his head to look at Dean. "What meds does Bobby have in the…" Sam's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open as he realized what Dean was referring to. "No, Dean! You are not sticking anything up my ass so just forget it!"

"I really don't wanna go there dude. But we don't have a choice." Dean argued kneeling down beside his brother once more. "You're hurting. I can see it on your face, man. And its only gonna get worse once I start working on your left hand."

"My hand?" Sam asked glancing down at the injured limb.

"Yeah, you smacked your hand on the nightstand a couple of times while you were dreaming. Think you probably busted some more blisters." Dean told him. "Looked like you were trying to push someone away."

"Oh" Sam mumbled grimacing as the images of the dream flashed through his mind.

"You wanna talk about it?" Dean offered placing a hand on Sam's back.

"No" Sam adamantly stated.

"Alright but the offer still stands" Dean replied as he stood and headed for the door. "I'll be back in a minute."

"Dean, I said no" Sam reminded his brother. "You are not doing that to me."

"Sam, I am not going to let you hurt all night just to save your pride." Dean angrily said.

"And I said I'm not letting you near me with those." Sam fired back.

"You two okay?" Bobby asked from the doorway. "Need anything?"

"I could use some help." Dean answered. "Seems Sammy here doesn't want to take his medicine. I might need you to help hold him down so I can get the meds in him."

"Don't even think about it" Sam grumbled.

"Go on and get'em Dean." Bobby suggested. "I'll watch this one."

"Thanks Bobby" Dean said as he hurried out the door.

Bobby watched the older boy leave and then turned his best "dad" glare on the youngster in front of him. Crossing his arms over his chest he walked over to Sam. "Now you listen to me, boy. When your brother gets back here, you're gonna let him do what he has to do and you're not gonna give him any grief about it. Understand?"

"But Bobby…" Sam protested.

"Don't you but Bobby me!" the older man interrupted. "That brother of yours can't stand to see you in pain and you know it. The kid was up and down the stairs so many times tonight I'm surprised the thing's still standing. He checked on you every fifteen minutes for the four hours we were sitting down there. And do you know why he did that? Cause he felt guilty, that's why. Dean's been beating himself up all evening for not getting those meds in you on time. And you are not going to make things worse by refusing meds just cause it'll be embarrassing. Got it?"

"Yes sir" Sam meekly replied. He glanced up at Bobby through his bangs and hesitantly asked, "Could you do, do me one favor?"

"What?" Bobby snapped.

Dropping his gaze back to the floor he quietly said, "Could you get rid of the c-c-coff-coffee mug on the nightstand? The smell makes me feel worse."

"Sure thing, Little Bit" Bobby softly answered smiling as the boy glanced at him in surprise. Hearing Dean coming up behind him he quickly made his way out of the room. There was no way he wanted to witness that.

Sam attempted to swallow the lump in his throat as Dean entered the bathroom with the box of meds. This was the last thing he wanted to endure but he couldn't stand the idea of Dean beating himself up over something that wasn't his fault, either. Knowing that nothing he said would relieve Dean's guilt he resigned himself to his fate. Taking a deep breath he looked up at his big brother and asked, "What do, do you want me to, uhhh, to do?"


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

AN- My apologies to the medical professionals out there. I have little to no knowledge and couldn't find out a whole lot on the internet. So I used what I found and made up the rest.

Previously on Supernatural- Knowing that nothing he said would relieve Dean's guilt he resigned himself to his fate. Taking a deep breath he looked up at his big brother and asked, "What do, do you want me to, uhhh, to do?"

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"Huh?" Dean distractedly asked his gaze bouncing between the box in his hands and his brother. "What'd you say, Sam?"

"I asked what you needed me to do." Sam quietly said.

"Oh, uhh, let me see." Dean replied. Turning the box around until he found the directions the older brother quickly read through them and then walked over and sat down beside his sick sibling. "Okay, it says to lie down on your left side." Dean instructed. He grabbed a couple of towels off the rack, unfolded them, and laid them out before helping Sam scoot over and lie down on top of them. Grimacing as he read the next part of the directions he took a deep breath and reached for the waistband of his Sam's sweats. He eased the sweats and boxers down his little brother's legs and then focused back on the directions. "Alright next it says for you to bend your right knee up to your chest. That's it. Now you just stay like that and try to relax. The rest is up to me." Opening the box Dean pulled out a small foil packet and set the box on the floor. Pulling the foil apart he grasped the bullet shaped suppository stifling a groan at the thought of what came next. Reminding himself that Sam needed this Dean put his free hand on his little brother's hip feeling the younger man tense at his touch. "Okay Sammy here we go" he warned before inserting the medicine.

"Shit! That's cold!" Sam grumbled squirming at the uncomfortable feeling the medicine was creating.

"I know buddy. I know. It'll be better in a minute." Dean sympathetically said rubbing his brother's arm. "But for now the directions say for you to slowly lower your right leg and lie still for about five minutes so it won't fall out."

"Can you at least pull my pants back up, Dean?" Sam asked. "I'm cold!"

"Sorry kiddo but it's says not to move you at all for five minutes so that's gonna have to wait. Guess you'll just have to make do with this." Dean said as he placed another towel over Sam's bottom half. "How's that? Better?"

"Yeah, thanks man" Sam whispered closing his eyes. He really wanted those five minutes over. This was beyond embarrassing.

"Hey Sam! You remember the last time dad had to give you one of these things?" Dean asked attempting to distract his little brother. "You were what eight, nine?"

"Nine" Sam replied.

"Yeah nine" Dean repeated. "Man, you were lying on the couch sick as a dog but as soon as you heard dad say the "s" word you bolted off the couch and out the door. You got two blocks before he caught you and drug you back home. Course then you got the medicine and a whooping for running off. I didn't think your ass would ever recover from that one."

"Yeah dad was really ticked with me." Sam said smiling at the memory. "But it was all that stupid doctor's fault. Man, he was a dick. I mean who gives a nine year old suppositories as medicine?"

"The same guy that insists on taking temperatures rectally?" Dean quipped.

"Shit! I'd forgotten about that." Sam grumbled with a yawn.

Grinning Dean glanced down to check his watch. "Alright Sam time's up." He announced reaching under the towel and pulling up the younger man's boxers and sweats. "Come on. Let's get you to bed." Tossing the towel aside he helped Sam sit up before hooking his hands under his brother's arms and pulling him into a standing position. Throwing one of the boy's gangly arms across his shoulder Dean led them out of the bathroom and across the hall to the bedroom. He deposited Sam in his bed and pulled the blankets up to the shivering man's chin and then grabbed the first aid kit off the night stand. Taking his little brother's left hand he carefully unwound the bandages biting back a groan at the sight of the newly burst blisters. Shaking his head Dean got to work gently cleaning and re-bandaging the wounded hand. When he finished his ministrations, the older brother tucked his younger sibling's arm back under the covers and headed for his own bed spinning around when he heard what sounded like a whimper. "Sammy, you okay?" he asked frowning at the woebegone expression on his brother's face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing" Sam lied quickly schooling his features. "I just, uhh, just moved wrong."

"Uh huh, sure you did" Dean muttered. Walking over to his bed he snatched up the pillow and blanket and trudged back to his brother's bed. "Scoot over."

"What? Dean, you don't have to…"

"Yes I do." Dean replied as he climbed onto the bed and lay down beside his little brother. "Somebody's gotta make sure you don't bang up your hand anymore than it already is. But if you ever tell anybody I did this…"

"You'll end me" Sam finished closing his eyes and relaxing for the first time in weeks. He was asleep in seconds.

Smiling at how young and innocent Sam looked at the moment Dean watched over his little brother until he couldn't stay awake any longer. Turning on his side to face Sam Dean tossed an arm across his brother and fell asleep.

The next morning

Dean trudged into the kitchen rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Morning Bobby, Vonnie" he called heading straight for the coffee pot.

"Morning Dean. Rough night?" Vonnie asked as the young man poured a cup of coffee and dropped into the chair across from her.

"Yeah, Sammy kept having the same nightmare. Don't know what it was about but it sure scared the crap outta the kid." Dean explained eyeing the white pharmacy bag on the table. "That the new meds?"

"Well sort of" Vonnie hedged. "After I talked to Bobby last night, I called the hospital and had a conversation with Dr. Loap about Sam and he said…"

"Wait, Dr. Loap?" Dean snickered.

"Yeah, Dr. Jack A. Loap" Bobby replied with a smirk.

"Oh man, his parents must have really hated him." Dean said still chuckling.

"Anyway" Vonnie continued ignoring the two laughing men, "Dr. Loap wants Sam to stay on his current medicine. He said that the nausea should pass soon but when I explained about you guys having to drive to Florida for a family emergency he wrote out a prescription for an anti-nausea medicine Sam can take."

"Umm, how's he gonna take it when he's throwing up?" Dean questioned hoping the answer wasn't what he thought it was going to be.

"Well, the script was for a suppository" Vonnie replied stifling a chuckle at Dean's horrified expression. "But then after I told him about Bobby having been a medic in Vietnam, he decided to give you guys a choice. You can use the suppositories or you can use these." She said holding out a box of syringes.

"Needles, great. Sammy's gonna love that." Dean muttered.

"Speaking of Sam, Dr. Loap had a question. When's the last time Sam had his antibiotic pill?" Vonnie asked.

Dean ran a hand across his face thinking back. "Not since lunch, yesterday." He admitted. "He was supposed to take another one after supper but that's when he started puking."

"That's what I thought" Vonnie tsked reaching into the bag once more. Pulling out a vial and syringe she looked at Dean. "Alright, lead the way. I need to get this in him before I go."

"Aww man" Dean whispered as he walked Vonnie upstairs and down the hall to their bedroom. Opening the door he let out a breath. Sam was peacefully sleeping with his back to the door. Creeping over to the bed he glanced up at Vonnie. "Think you can give him that without waking him?" he asked.

"I can try" Vonnie offered with a shrug. Popping the top on the syringe the nurse poked the needle into the vial and quickly retrieved the needed dose. "Okay Dean. I need you to get the blanket off him and pull his pants and boxers down a little. Afraid this has to go in his hip."

"It would" Dean grumbled as he pulled the blanket off his little brother. Grabbing the waistband of Sam's sweats he slid the sweats and boxers down a little giving Vonnie access to his hip. He winced as the nurse wiped the area and stuck the needle in his brother's behind delivering the needed meds. Sammy groaned and attempted to shift away but didn't waken. Quickly pulling up Sam's pants Dean tucked his little brother back in and silently led his friend out of the room. "Thanks Vonnie" he said once he shut the bedroom door. "I think that's the most painless shot he's ever had."

"You're welcome Dean." Vonnie replied. "Just wish I could do something about the throwing up without you guys having to use those meds I brought."

"Don't worry. If we could get through last night, we can make it through anything." Dean told the nurse as they walked down the stairs.

"You done already?" Bobby questioned poking his head out of the kitchen. "I didn't hear any hollering."

"That's cause Sammy slept through it." Dean explained.

"Well, I'll be damned!" Bobby exclaimed. "Hey Vonnie, you wouldn't happen to have any vacation days, would you? We'd love to have you join us."

"As tempting as that offer is, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to turn it down." Vonnie said with a sigh. "Jensen and I are planning a special family get away for the summer and that'll take all my days."

"Oh well, it was worth a shot" Bobby replied as the three walked to the front door.

"You guys be careful on the road now. And take care of Sammy for me. I want to see a healthy young man when you get back." Vonnie stated opening the door. "Bye Dean, Bobby. See you when you get back."

"Bye Vonnie! Thanks!" Dean called from the doorway. He went and stood on the top step watching as the lovely lady got into her car and drove away. Turning he walked back inside and helped Bobby carry their bags and supplies to the RV. After double checking to make sure they had everything they might possibly need, the two men headed upstairs to get their youngest. They managed to coax the boy awake enough to sit him up. Taking either side the two older men hoisted the half asleep young man to his feet and half drug, half carried him out to their new ride. Stopping at the steps Dean placed one hand under his brother's knees and the other hand across his back before lifting Sam into his arms and carrying him up the steps and into their home for the next few days. Depositing his little brother on the queen sized bed he carefully pulled the blue sheet and comforter over his sleeping sibling. "Night Sammy" he whispered before walking out of the small room.

"Ready Dean?" Bobby asked from the driver's seat.

"Sure you don't want me to drive?" Dean questioned taking a seat on the comfy looking couch and picking up the remote sitting on it.

"Positive" Bobby replied. "Why don't you get some shut eye while you can? You can use that remote to convert the couch to a bed if you wanna get comfortable."

"Really?" Dean asked eyeing the remote with glee. Standing he quickly pushed the button grinning as the couch slowly transformed into a full sized bed. "Awesome" he muttered. Setting the remote on the counter he fell back on the bed and went to sleep.

"Sleep well boys" Bobby whispered pulling out of the drive.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

Previously on Supernatural-"Sleep well boys" Bobby whispered pulling out of the drive.

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Bobby tapped his fingers in time with the soft playing music on the radio as he drove down the highway. It had been a long time since he'd been on a trip with the Winchesters in tow. He'd forgotten how much he loved riding down the open road heading for some family fun. He might just have to invest in a vehicle like this one. Maybe do this more often; just pick a week every few months or so and hit the road; take some time off and have some fun. _"Oh yeah"_ he thought glancing at his sleeping boys in the rearview mirror. _"That'll go over like a lead balloon."_ It'd still be worth a try, he decided. And who knew, maybe just maybe the boys would agree. Smirking at the idea of Dean voluntarily agreeing to stop hunting for a while Bobby stifled a chuckle. He could picture the expression on the boy's face now. Kid was too much like his father sometimes. Except for his taste in music Bobby corrected. While Johnny had traded the headache inducing heavy metal for the more calming sound of country music, Dean was still firmly entrenched in the ear splitting crap usually listening with the volume up as high as it would go. Kid was gonna be deaf before he turned forty if he kept that habit up. Smiling as Johnny Cash's voice boomed through the speakers Bobby adjusted the volume just a little. As the man in black belted out the names of places he'd been the older hunter couldn't help but think about the Winchesters. The song playing was their life in a nutshell. A flash of a TV show starring his friends danced through his mind making him snicker. "The world won't ever be ready for that." He muttered still grinning at the image. That grin slipped as a pained moan of "No, please" drifted from the back of the RV. Slowing down he put on the emergency blinkers and started to pull off the road.

"It's okay Bobby. I've got him." Dean assured as he quickly sat up rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"You sure, Dean?" Bobby questioned catching the younger man's eyes in the rearview mirror.

"Yeah" Dean replied. "Just keep driving."

"Alright" Bobby agreed. He watched the boy stagger into the bedroom before turning off the blinkers and pulling back onto the road.

In the back of the RV

Dean sat down, stretched out with his back against the headboard and began running his hand through Sam's mess of hair. "Shhh Sammy, its okay I'm here. Nothing's going to hurt you." He soothed.

"Please! I'm sorry!" Sam sobbed. "I didn't…no"

Concerned Dean leaned over his sleeping sibling. "Shhh, you have nothing to be sorry for buddy. Nothing." He whispered in Sam's ear. Blinking back tears at his brother's mumbled "dad?" Dean sat stunned for a moment. Knowing what his little brother needed Dean reached out and brushed the boy's hair out of his eyes before slipping his hand down to cup Sam's cheek; something their dad had always done when they were sick. Smiling as Sammy leaned into his touch he softly whispered, "Yeah kiddo, its d-dad. I forgive you, son. You hear me. I forgive you for everything." Seeing Sam's mouth open he added, "Shhh, go to sleep Sammy. We'll talk later. Sleep now, buddy." Dean watched as his little brother settled into sleep once more. He sat with Sam for a few minutes just to make sure the boy was sleeping peacefully and then slowly started to get up stopping with a wince as one of Sam's hands shot out and clamped onto his leg.

"Don't go" Sam whimpered tightening his hold on his big brother.

Sighing Dean sat back down and carefully pried Sam's hand off his leg and set it on the boy's chest. "Aww, what the hell" he muttered before sliding down to lay beside his little brother smiling as Sam immediately snuggled into his side. "Night Sammy" he yawned closing his eyes.

Later

Bobby let out a sigh of relief as he turned onto the rest stop exit. He was more than ready for a break. Driving the long curving drive he carefully checked out the area ahead. A huge fairly new building stood between two parking lots. Taking the right lane marked for truckers the hunter drove past the building choosing to park away from the steady stream of visitors. After pulling into a space and cutting the engine, he stood and stretched. Scanning the perimeter as he stretched his eyes lit up at a certain sign. Walking to the back of the RV he peeked in on his boys unsurprised to see Dean blinking sleepily up at him. "We're at a rest stop, Dean. I need to stretch my legs for a while." He told the younger man. "I'll get us some coffee while I'm at it and then we can eat when I get back."

"Okay" Dean replied rubbing a hand across his face as he sat up. "You want me to warm up some casserole?"

"Yeah, and try to wake Sam up. The kid really needs to eat something." Bobby advised as he headed toward the other room.

"Hope he can keep it down." Dean mumbled. Standing he went into the bathroom and took care of business before going into the kitchen of the RV. Glancing at the clock he was surprised to see that it was almost one o'clock in the afternoon. Thrilled that his little brother had managed to get several hours of uninterrupted sleep Dean grinned. Things were finally starting to look up for a change. Going to the fridge he opened the freezer and took out one of the ice cream cakes setting it on the counter next to the microwave. He wanted to give it plenty of time to thaw out before lunch. After grabbing plates and spoons from a cabinet, he took the casserole dish out of the fridge, spooned an enormous amount onto a plate and stuck it in the microwave to heat up. With their lunch cooking he headed back to the bedroom to get Sam. Sitting on the edge of the bed Dean gently shook his younger brother's shoulder. "Sammy" he called, "Come on kiddo, time to get up."

Tired hazel eyes slowly opened gazing around the room before coming to rest on his brother. "D-Deeean?" Sam yawned. "Where are we?"

"We're in Vonnie's RV, Sammy. We have to go help Josh, remember?" Dean asked. Seeing his sibling nod he added, "How are you feeling, dude? You're not gonna puke again, are you?"

"I feel good, Dean, just hungry." Sam replied as he propped up on his elbows. "Think I could have something to eat?"

"Way ahead of you, buddy. Lunch is warming up as we speak." Dean said with a smirk. "Now come on. Let's get you outta bed." Dean carefully sat Sam up in the bed and waited for him to throw his legs over the side before helping him stand. Keeping an arm around the younger man's waist he walked him to the bathroom. Minutes later he emerged with a very red faced Sam.

"It's not funny, Dean" Sam grumbled glaring at his brother.

"Dude, that was priceless!" Dean crowed. Hearing the RV door opened he added, "Wait till I tell Bobby!"

Sam opened his mouth to protest only to slam it shut as a strong smell drifted into the room causing his gut to churn. "Dean…sick" he warned turning back toward the bathroom.

Dean quickly hauled his little brother back into the bathroom and sat him in front of the toilet. He rubbed circles in Sam's back as the younger man threw up what little was left in his stomach. "Its okay, Sammy. Just get it all out." he soothed.

"Kid sick again?" Bobby asked from the doorway. Seeing Dean's WTF look he shrugged. "What happened this time?"

"I don't know. He was fine when he woke up, even asked about eating. Then all of the sudden this started." Dean explained. "I haven't even given him his meds yet."

"Hmm, maybe we were wrong about the pain meds then. Maybe it's the antibiotic." Bobby reasoned.

"No" Sam moaned as he leaned back against his brother. "N-not me-meds."

"Sammy, if it's not the meds, what is it?" Dean questioned as he gently brushed the sweaty bangs off his brother's forehead.

"It's…it's the, the c-c…" Sam replied groaning and leaning over the bowl as his stomach clenched once more. Swallowing he glanced in Bobby's direction before surrendering to the dry heaves.

Glancing down at the cup in his hands Bobby was taken back to something Sam had asked him the night before. "It's the coffee, ain't it son? That's what's making you sick." He concluded grimacing as the boy nodded his head. Hurrying out of the room he grabbed the tray with the other cups and raced out of the RV. Bobby dumped them into the trash and quickly made his way back to the vehicle. Leaving the door cracked to air out the place he picked up the prescription bag and headed back to the bathroom. Finding Dean leaning against the wall with Sam cradled in his arms the father figure knelt down beside the two. "Here's the meds, Dean." He said holding out the bag.

"Do we have to, Bobby?" Dean quietly questioned. "Can't we just let him sleep it off?"

"No, Dean" Bobby replied opening the bag. "Sam's gotta be getting dehydrated by now. We need to get the meds in him so he can drink something and maybe eat a little bit without it coming back up before he ends up in the hospital."

"Alright" Dean agreed. Taking the bag from Bobby he looked down at his brother. "Sammy, Bobby and I are gonna give you something to help your stomach, okay?" he told the younger man. Feeling Sam adamantly shake his head he grinned. "Sorry kiddo, you're gonna have to take your medicine like a good boy. Vonnie even gave you a choice this time. We can do what we did last night or we can give you a shot. Your choice."

"That's a choice?" Sam whispered glaring up at Dean.

"Yep" Dean replied. "So what's it gonna be, kiddo?"

"The shot" Sam quickly mumbled closing his eyes. There was no way he could handle a repeat of the night before.

"You got it Sam" Bobby said patting the boy's shoulder. Taking a prefilled syringe and alcohol wipe from Dean he set the shot on the floor and tore open the small packet. "Roll up his sleeve, Dean" he instructed as he pulled out the wipe. He ran the wipe across Sam's bicep and then picked up the syringe. "Little stick" he warned before injecting the medicine.

"You did good, little brother" Dean praised as he lowered Sam's sleeve. Hearing a mumbled reply he chuckled. "What was that, Sammy? I didn't quite catch it."

"I said if that's his idea of a little stick, I don't want to feel a big one." Sam rasped.

"Oh quit your bellyaching. That needle wasn't even half of the size of the last one Vonnie used on you." Bobby stated as he helped Dean get Sam off the floor. Between the two men they managed to get the youngest member of their family back into bed with the covers tucked around him. Patting Dean on the back Bobby walked out of the room to give the boys some privacy. Getting a glass out of the cabinet he poured himself a glass of water before sitting at the tiny table.

"Sammy's sleeping again" Dean announced as he walked over to the microwave and turned it back on. "Figured I'd let him sleep a while before he tries to eat."

"That's good; don't think he'd be able to stomach much right now anyway." Bobby agreed as Dean came to sit across from him. "So, you got any idea why your brother is suddenly throwing up every time he's around coffee?"

"Yeah" Dean replied staring down at his hands. "D-dad sent him for coffee right before he, he you know. Sam found him on the floor of an empty room when he was bringing the coffee back."

"So Sam's remembering finding John when he smells the coffee and the memory's making him sick?" Bobby questioned scratching his beard. "But that don't make sense. We've been drinking coffee every day since you got out of the hospital. Why would it start making him sick now? Unless…"

"Unless he overheard us last night." Dean broke in grimacing at the idea. "Bobby, that's got to be it! That must be what's making Sam so upset he's getting sick."

"Why would that make him upset, Dean?" Bobby asked. "I thought Sam would be thrilled that Johnny finally got up the nerve to tell you two how he felt."

"That's just it, Bobby. That conversation was just between me and dad." Dean corrected. "I thought when he left he was going to talk to Sam. But then a couple of minutes later the kid came tearing in the room yelling about finding dad and pulling me outta bed. He never…"

"talked to Sam at all." Bobby finished. "No wonder little bit's so outta sorts. He probably thinks his daddy didn't care about him."

"Sam knows dad loved him, Bobby" Dean defended angrily.

"Like you did?" Bobby softly asked shaking his head as the expression on Dean's face answered the question for him. "Son, Sam and your daddy have had a strained relationship since the kid found out about what's out there. And through all those arguments your dad never gave in to the kid, not once. He never gave Sam a reason to believe he cared about him. You and I both know that."

"Dad loved Sammy." Dean adamantly stated.

"I know that, but I'm not so sure Sam does." Bobby replied.

"Yeah, well when he wakes up, I'm gonna make sure he gets the message." Dean growled.

"Good man" Bobby said as he stood and walked over to the microwave. Opening the door he gawked at the plate of food. "Geez Dean, just how many people were you cooking for?"

"I thought Sam would be hungry, okay" Dean defended with a huff.

"Uh huh, sure you did" Bobby teased spooning a heaping serving on two of the plates. Carrying them to the table he set them down and dropped back into his chair. "Well, what are you waiting for? Dig in."

"Yes sir" Dean replied shoving a spoonful of casserole into his mouth. He'd needed all the energy he could get for the conversation he would have to have with Sam. He just hoped he'd be able to get through to his brother.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

AN- Sorry about the long wait (again). I've been out of town since Friday night. I had to take my niece down to Florida for a job interview. Hopefully, she'll get a position and get back on her feet.

Previously on Supernatural-"Yes sir" Dean replied shoving a spoonful of casserole into his mouth. He'd needed all the energy he could get for the conversation he would have to have with Sam. He just hoped he'd be able to get through to his brother.

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Dean licked all traces of cake off his fork as he pushed himself away from the table. "Bobby, that was, was…Man I can't even think of the right word to describe just how awesome that ice cream cake was!" Dean exclaimed patting his stomach contentedly. "You should open a store and sell'em! You'd make a fortune!"

"Nah" Bobby replied. "I got no desire to stand in a hot kitchen all day and cook. Not to mention I'd rather face a werewolf barehanded than deal with some soccer mom that's trying to plan the perfect birthday party for her spoiled brat of a kid."

"Aww well. Their loss is my gain." Dean quipped. Taking a gulp of his tea he grimaced. "I can't wait to have that talk with Sammy. This stuff's gross."

"About that, Dean, I think you should wait until tonight to talk to him." Bobby stated raising his hand to stop the boy from protesting. "Now I know you wanna get things settled with Sam but we need to get some food to stay in him before you go upsetting him again. What say, we get him to eat lunch and supper and then you have your talk?"

"Okay" Dean agreed after a moment's thought. "I don't like it but you're right. The kid's gotta start eating and keeping it down soon or you'll be helping Josh while I'm stuck at the hospital with Sam."

"Yeah, we definitely don't want that." Bobby said thinking about his and Josh's plan. Standing he walked over to the sink and refilled his glass. "Now that that's settled, why don't you go out and stretch your legs while I clean things up? And get yourself a cup of coffee while you're at it. You've got a long drive ahead of you and I don't want you falling asleep at the wheel."

"Alright" Dean replied as he stood and headed to the door. "Want me to bring you anything?"

"No, I'll go get me a cup when you come back." Bobby called over the clank of dishes. He watched the younger man leave before turning back to the task at hand.

Bobby finished the dishes and carefully put them away. Bending down he opened the bottom left kitchen cabinet. Glancing through the DVD collection he picked out a couple reading the backs of both. Discarding the two he went through the stack once again choosing two more possible candidates. He only had to read the first two sentences of one video before he tossed it back in the pile. Turning the other movie over the old hunter read the summary and smiled. It was perfect. Setting it on top for easy reach he closed the cabinet door and stood glancing over to the door as it opened and Dean bounded inside. "Looks like you found the coffee." He teased.

"Oh yeah" Dean grinned.

"Must have been some cup of coffee" Bobby muttered shaking his head.

"It was okay" Dean stated, "but the waitress, Cindy, wow. She had these really big…"

"Got it, Dean" Bobby interrupted hurrying to the door. "No need to tell me more. Think I'll go walk around a little and stretch my legs. Call me after Sam's up and fed."

"Okay Bobby. If you go inside, make sure you tell Cindy thanks for me. She was…" Dean broke off chuckling as Bobby practically ran out the RV door. "Man, he's easier to wind up than Sammy." Dean mumbled as he walked into the tiny bedroom area and took a seat on the bed beside his sibling. Placing a hand on his brother's shoulder Dean gently shook him. "Sammy, Sammy time to wake up, kiddo." He called smiling as Sam slowly opened his eyes and stared up at him.

"We there?" Sam asked with a yawn.

"No, we're still at the rest stop." Dean told the younger man. "Bobby and I thought you might want to eat a little something. What do you think? Wanna try some casserole?"

"Yeah, that sounds good." Sam agreed. With Dean's help he got out of bed and slowly made his way to the table. Dropping into the closest bench seat he sat back and watched as his big brother warmed up a plate of food and set it in front of him. "Thanks Dean" he said as he reached for his spoon frowning as his brother snatched it.

"No touching" Dean gleefully reminded Sam. Scooping up a small spoonful he blew on it before holding it out to his little brother. "Come on kiddo. Down the hatch." He prodded.

Rolling his eyes Sam obediently opened his mouth.

Bobby trudged through the door later to find Sam finishing off his desert. Smiling he went over to the counter and retrieved the boy's prescription bottles. "Looks like you're feeling better, Sam" the older man said as he set the bottles on the table.

"Yeah, I am" Sam replied. Gazing down at the small brown bottles he sighed. He really didn't want to go back to sleep. Glancing up at his big brother he broke out his best puppy dog look. "Uh, Dean do I really have to take the pain pill now?" he asked. "My hands don't even hurt."

"I don't know, Sam" Dean answered. "The doc said you need to take them, remember?"

"I know and I will." Sam told his brother. "But not right now. Please? I'm tired of sleeping all the time."

Seeing an argument brewing Bobby stepped in. "How about a compromise? Dean and I won't make you take the pain pill now but you tell us when you start hurting. Okay, Sam?"

"Sounds good to me" Sam replied with a dimpled grin.

"Yeah, okay" Dean hesitantly agreed. "But you better tell me the second you feel any pain."

"I will, Dean" Sam assured his sibling.

"Great, now let's hit the road. Josh is waiting." Bobby said leading Sam to the sofa behind the driver's seat. "Have a seat, kid. You and I are gonna watch a movie while your brother drives."

"Cool. What're we watching?" Sam asked as he leaned back against the couch.

"You'll see" Bobby told him. Bending down he picked up the DVD case he had already selected from the cabinet. Popping open the case he carefully pulled the DVD out and tossing the case back in the cabinet shut the door. Going over to the DVD player he pushed it in, snatched up the remote, and then went back to the sofa. Taking a seat Bobby pressed a button on the remote.

Sam eagerly stared at the TV screen wondering which of Bobby's favorites they'd be watching. His mouth dropped open and his eyebrows disappeared under his mop of chestnut hair as a peaceful ocean scene came on the screen. "Lilo and Stitch, Bobby?" he muttered. "Seriously?"

"Something wrong, Sam?" Bobby casually inquired. "I seem to remember a certain little boy begging to watch Disney cartoons over and over. You telling me you outgrew watching'em?"

"Yes, I mean no" Sam corrected hearing his big brother clear his throat.

"Good, then shut your yapping and watch the movie." Bobby ordered grinning. Watching the cartoon brought back a lot of memories for the older man. He remembered many shouting matches that ended in slammed doors just like the movie. Course it was usually Sam and John going at it instead of the brothers but they had had their share of arguments, too. The fighting scene between the two little girls was also something he'd witnessed on more than one occasion. Young Dean had never allowed anyone to say anything derogatory about a member of his family. And then there was that little Stitch character. That creature reminded him of both boys. It was extremely smart and had a big heart like Sam. But it was a warrior and a lovable goof ball like Dean. Feeling Sam shift next to him broke through his thoughts. Glancing at the younger man he asked, "You okay, Sam?"

"Think I need that pain pill now." Sam quietly confessed.

Reaching over to the counter Bobby grabbed the needed medicine and a glass of water. "Here you go, kiddo." He said as he helped the younger man take the pill. Placing the glass and bottle on the counter Bobby picked up the smaller remote. "Let's get you a little more comfortable." He added. Bobby leaned back and pressed a button on the remote chuckling at Sam's gasp as the bottom of the sofa lifted up. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Yeah" Sam whispered scooting down on the couch and resting his head on the back.

Satisfied that his charge was alright Bobby turned his attention back to the movie. Watching the little girl and alien run around wreaking havoc everywhere they went was like watching a young Sam and Dean. They meant well but things always seemed to blow up in their faces. The youngins had been a two boy wreaking crew in their day. Heck most of the gray hair on his head was because of the two idgits. But they were his and he wouldn't trade them for anyone. Sam's head dropping on his shoulder interrupted Bobby's musings and brought a smile to the older man's face. The kid wasn't going to last till the end of the film. He was just about gone. Keeping his shoulder still so as not to disturb the youngest Winchester Bobby picked up a magazine with his other hand and started flipping through it. Half way through the article he was reading he felt the younger man tense up. Worried he looked over to see the trembling boy staring at the TV screen in fear. Glancing over Bobby was shocked by the action on the screen. _"What the hell is CPS doing in a Disney film?"_ he angrily thought. Flipping the movie off he reached over and rubbed Sam's back. "You okay, Sam?" he asked.

Sam shivered as he gazed over at his friend. "Y-yeah" he stammered wrapping his arms around himself. "It just brought back some bad memories, you know?"

"Yes I do" Bobby replied. Standing he walked over to the cabinet and pulled out another video. Popping the DVD out of the player he tossed it aside before putting a new one in its place. "Let's try this again" he said as he took a seat next to the littlest Winchester and hit the button on the remote. Bobby and Sam both relaxed as the old black and white cowboy movie started playing.

Dean listened to the old western saying all of John Wayne's lines as he drove down the lonely highway. "The Shootist" had always been one of his favorites. Hearing the ending music play as the credits rolled he reached for the radio stopping as he noticed that Bobby hadn't turned off the movie. Glancing up at the rearview mirror Dean had to bite his lip to keep from laughing out loud. Putting on his blinkers he carefully steered the huge vehicle to the side of the road and grabbed his phone. Setting the gear in park he swiveled his seat around and quickly snapped a picture of his two family members sleeping, Sam with his head on Bobby's shoulder and Bobby with his head resting on Sam's. Saving the picture and setting the camera aside Dean tiptoed to the bedroom and grabbed the comforter. Going to the sofa he tenderly spread the blanket over the two sleeping men before going back to his seat. "Night guys" he whispered as he put the RV in drive and pulled onto the road once more.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

Previously on Supernatural- Saving the picture and setting the camera aside Dean tiptoed to the bedroom and grabbed the comforter. Going to the sofa he tenderly spread the blanket over the two sleeping men before going back to his seat. "Night guys" he whispered as he put the RV in drive and pulled onto the road once more.

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"Bobby, Bobby wake up" Dean softly said as he shook the older man's shoulder. Seeing his long time friend's eyes blink open he released his grip on his mentor and stepped back with a grin.

"Time is it?" Bobby muttered glancing down to see Sam still using his shoulder as a pillow. Carefully easing out from beside the younger man the surrogate father stood and stretched frowning when he noticed the darkness outside the RV.

Following Bobby's gaze the older Winchester boy chuckled. "It's a quarter to nine, Bobby. You and Sammy slept most of the afternoon and evening away." He informed the stunned man. "I started to wake you guys up earlier but I wanted to get here before we stopped. Besides, you two looked so cute sleeping together I just didn't have the heart to wake you."

"Haha" Bobby grumbled. Walking to the window by the door he glanced out taking in the ancient building and the faded sign above it. "Old Timer's Country Cookin'" he read. "Where are we and what's so special about this place? And why stop to eat? You know Sam's not going to want to go inside a diner to eat."

"This place he will." Dean confidently stated stepping up beside Bobby. Seeing the seasoned hunter's curious look he began to explain. "We're in one of Sam's favorite places, Toccoa, Georgia. We lived here for a couple of months when we were kids. I think Sammy was twelve or so. Anyway, we rented an apartment a little ways down the street from the diner. It was the first time our d-dad let Sammy walk to school by himself. Course, the kid was thrilled; guess it made him feel grown up or something. Sam had to walk past this place to get to and from school every day and the ladies inside kinda took a shine to him; always giving him free samples of the food and making sure he had a homemade snack for school and another one for the walk home."

"You mean you and Johnny allowed some strange ladies to give Sam food?" Bobby questioned. "That don't sound like you two."

"They weren't strangers, Bobby. See, we ate there most of the time since it was close to home and cheap." Dean explained. "Think Sammy's fan club started the first time we ate there. Older ladies have always been drawn to the kid; it's like they can somehow sense that he didn't have a mom. Or this time it could have been the fact that the little brat kept complimenting their cooking. It was awesome by the way but the way he was talking, you'd have thought it was cooked by the angels themselves. When the time came to leave, we had to drag him out kicking and screaming. He didn't talk to either of us for a week after that and I know part of that was because of them. They had shown Sammy what it was like to have a mother around to care for him and he didn't want to lose that. I promised him for years that we'd come back here but we never did. Until now. Can't wait to see his face when he sees where we are."

"Yeah" Bobby agreed before a thought struck him. "Dean, are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, you said you were here over ten years ago. What if those ladies aren't here anymore?"

"They're here" Dean replied going back over to the couch. "I went inside and checked while you two were doing your sleeping beauty routine. They can't wait to see "their little Sammy. And before you ask I told them about his problem with the coffee. They said they'd take care of it."

"Little Sammy" Bobby laughed. "Boy are they in for a surprise!"

"Oh yeah!" Dean grinned. Taking a seat on the couch he reached down and gently shook his little brother. "Sammy, come on kiddo, time to wake up."

"Go 'way De'n" Sam slurred swatting at his brother's arm. Huffing as the hand continued to shake him Sam opened his eyes and glared up at Dean. "What?"

"Supper time, man" Dean said resisting the urge to smirk. "Look, I even found us this really cool buffet; The Old Timer's Country Cookin'."

Sam's eyes widened at the name. Sitting up he darted a glance out the window and gasped. "We're in Toccoa? Really?" he excitedly asked.

"Yep" Dean simply replied. Slapping his brother's knee he stood and took a step toward the door. "Now come on. I'm starving."

Sam looked longingly at the door before shaking his head. "I can't go in there like this, Dean." He mumbled. "You guys go ahead and eat. You can bring me something when you're through."

"Come on man" Dean whined, "Don't make me go in there and tell Grandma Nell and Aunt Lois that you aren't coming inside."

"They're still here?" Sam squealed.

"Yeah, and they're both waiting to see 'their little Sammy'" Dean teased using his fingers to emphasize the nickname.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Sam hollered as he stood and hurried to the RV door. He fidgeted as he waited for Dean and Bobby to walk over and open the door. Once outside he quickly strode through the nearly empty parking lot and up to the glass doors grinning from ear to ear as the door was thrown open wide. Staring down at the tiny petite old woman the youngster leaned down and wrapped her in his arms. "Hey, Grandma Nell" he whispered.

"_Now that is a sight"_ Bobby thought from his spot by the door. Sam was nearly bent in half as the gray haired woman he was hugging barely came to his waist. Seeing a taller woman with long black hair come up beside the two and join the hug made the hunter smile. He hadn't seen either boy that excited and happy in a long time. Following the group to a large table in the back of the room he took a seat at one end chuckling as the two ladies fussed over his boys. More ladies arrived carrying plates of food and setting them on the table. The delicious aroma had his mouth watering in no time. He started to reach for a plate stopping when he saw the women and John's boys bow their heads. Rolling his eyes he copied their actions sitting quietly through the thankfully short blessing. As soon as the prayer ended he started filling his plate making sure to get a little bit of everything. Glancing over at the boys Bobby had to bite back a laugh at seeing Sam's plate covered with fried okra. _"Dean wasn't kidding about the ladies going overboard." _He thought as he watched the eldest Winchester scoop up some of the okra and hold it out for his brother.

"Here you go, Sammy" Dean said as he moved the overflowing spoon toward his sibling's mouth. Seeing one of the ladies starting to add greens to his plate he shifted the spoon away as he shook his head. "No thank you ma'am" he politely refused. He slid the spoon close to Sam again only to pull it away at the last second again. "You ladies take a seat. You don't have to do…OW! What was that for?" he grumbled rubbing the back of his head.

"That was for teasing your little brother" Grandma Nell scolded shaking her wooden spoon. "Quit playing with that spoon and give it to the poor boy already."

"Oops! Sorry Sammy" Dean apologized as he spooned the food into his little brother's mouth. "Kinda forgot what I was doing for a minute." Dean carried on a conversation with both older ladies as he alternated feeding himself and his brother. Finishing off his plate a little while later, he glanced at his watch and scooted back from the table. "That was awesome!" he complimented patting his full stomach. "I hate to eat and run but we really need to get back on the road. We promised a friend we'd meet him tomorrow morning and we still have a long way to go."

"I wish you could stay longer, too. But we understand." Aunt Lois replied patting Dean's shoulder. "It was wonderful seeing you boys again. We always wondered what happened to you two."

"Sorry about that. We meant to come back but we just never got the chance. But don't worry. I promise we'll come back to see you soon. And who knows, we might even have time to stick around a little while. Maybe go to that chitlins cook out your son helps with every year." Dean said mentally adding "if we can stand the stink"

"It was good to see you boys again." Grandma Nell told the boys as she gave them both a hug. "You three wait here for a minute. I'm going to fix y'all some take out trays for the road. It won't take me a minute."

"You don't…" Bobby started coming to an abrupt stop as Dean's hand covered his mouth. Glaring at the boy he waited for the younger man to remove his hand before grumbling, "What was that about?"

"Dude, do not tick off Grandma Nell" Dean warned. "She may be a tiny little thing but she don't take no crap. We're talking about a lady who chased some Jehovah's Witnesses out of her house with a broom when they refused to leave. She says she's getting us food we let her. You don't backtalk her or cuss in front of her ever. Trust me. Dad learned that lesson the hard way last time. See, we went to her house once to pick up Sammy. She was outside doing her wash in this big tub; had the old boat paddle stirring it when we got there. I know, but she said it gets the clothes cleaner that way. Anyway, Sammy wasn't ready so of course dad got mad. He yelled for the kid to get a move on, using some of his more colorful language and Grandma Nell swung that paddle around, missed his nose by this much." He explained moving his hands an inch apart. Don't know who it scared more; him or her. I don't think she really meant to hurt him; she just didn't cotton to people cussing around her. And you know the funny thing was it worked. Dad didn't cuss for months after that. Really wish she'd been around for some of dad and Sam's fights. She'd have set them straight."

Seeing the old woman coming back with three Styrofoam trays Bobby hopped up and took them out of her hands. "Thank you ma'am." He told her.

"You're welcome young man" Grandma Nell replied with a smile. "You take good care of these boys now. And make sure Sammy eats. That youngin's way too skinny to be that tall."

"Yes ma'am" Bobby said returning her smile. He patiently waited through another round of hugs before leading the way to the RV. Setting the trays in the fridge he walked to the driver's seat and made himself comfortable. He started the engine and turned to the boys sitting on the sofa. "Dean, help your brother take a bath and then get those meds in him." He instructed giving the older brother a knowing look. Seeing the boy's slight nod he spun his seat back around and pulled out of the parking lot praying that Dean would be able to make Sam realize his daddy really did love him.

AN- Meant to get the boys' talk in here but meeting the ladies kind of got away from me. Oh, and the story about Grandma Nell swinging that big paddle at someone was true. My grandma told my dad to do something and when he smarted back to her she swung that paddle before she thought about it just missing his head. (think he said he was like 8 or 9) He didn't talk back to her for months after that. (But it freaked her out more because of what could have happened. Kinda like that it hurts me more than you deal only she didn't mean to do that. She just reacted before she thought about it.)


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

Previously on Supernatural- "Dean, help your brother take a bath and then get those meds in him." He instructed giving the older brother a knowing look. Seeing the boy's slight nod he spun his seat back around and pulled out of the parking lot praying that Dean would be able to make Sam realize his daddy really did love him.

"Alright Sam in you go" Dean stated as he helped his younger brother into the two sizes too small tub. Picking up a wash rag and the soap he slowly lathered the cloth as he thought about how to start the conversation he knew he needed to have with his brother. After getting his thoughts in order, the older man put down the soap and began. "It was good to see Grandma Nell and Aunt Lois again wasn't it Sammy?" he asked as he scrubbed.

"Yeah, I just wish we could have stayed a little longer." Sam wistfully replied. "I really missed them."

"Me too" Dean agreed. "Hey, you remember that time Grandma Nell almost decked dad with that boat paddle thingy?"

Sam snorted. "How could I forget? Dad busted my behind for making him wait as soon as we got back to the apartment." He scoffed. "I couldn't sit down for a week without thinking about it."

"Oh yeah. I forgot about that." Dean muttered mentally kicking himself. He was supposed to be making his little brother feel better not worse. Quickly moving on he added, "Still it wasn't all bad here. Dad let you walk to and from school by yourself for the first time."

"Yeah, like he had a choice" Sam mumbled. "It was either let me walk or you drive me to school. And not only would he have to worry about his precious car being parked in a school lot but he wouldn't have a way to get around town. Besides, it's not like I was actually alone. He followed me every morning. Guess he couldn't even trust me to make it the few blocks there and back without screwing up."

"Sammy, you know that's not true." Dean argued. "Dad trusted you."

"Riiight" Sam scoffed. "Look, we're not gonna agree on this so let's just change the subject, okay?"

"No, not okay" Dean angrily growled. Turning away from his brother he closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. Getting angry wasn't going to help either one of them. Once he had his emotions back under control Dean turned back to Sam and softly said, "I think you need to talk about this Sammy. You're calling out for dad in the middle of your nightmares. Hell you can't even handle the smell of a cup of coffee. We've gotta talk about this."

"No we don't" Sam fired back. "I'm fine, Dean."

"Really? So you're not thinking dad didn't care because he didn't talk to you before he died?" Dean questioned. Sam's wince was the only answer he needed. "You overheard me and Bobby talking, didn't you?"

Sam nodded. Dropping his gaze to his bandaged hands he whispered, "Its okay Dean. Really. It's not like I didn't already know that d-d-da, that he didn't care about me."

"Sammy that's not true. Dad loved you." Dean assured his little brother. "Don't you remember all the trips to the parks for a break when we were on a long drive? Or what about dad always hugging you and playing with you when he came home?"

"That was when we were little, Dean; before I knew what was really out there." Sam quietly pointed out. "And I know he loved me then. I knew that as sure as I knew my own name. But everything changed after I found out the truth and he started training me. He was different. I don't know if it was because I didn't pick things up as fast as you did or if he found out something about mom's death that pointed to me or what. But something happened. I went from being his buddy or little man or baby to a slow stupid screw up. And he changed from the dad I knew into this whole other person; one that didn't like me very much."

"Come on Sammy. I know dad was a bear when it came to training but he wasn't that bad." Dean scoffed. "He even made sure to tell us we did a good job when we were done."

"No Dean, he always told you that." Sam corrected still focusing on his hands. "You know I use to watch you and dad when you were training? I'd watch him teaching you a new move looking for any clue why he always told you things like "good try" or "you've almost got it" while all I heard was "God Sam can't you ever get anything right?" or my personal favorite "why can't you be more like Dean? It only took him two tries to get this". I mean, when you and dad sparred, no matter how many times he handed your a$$ to you, he still patted you on the back and told you you did a good job."

"What'd you expect Sam?" Dean broke in. "Dad was older than me and he had way more experience in hand to hand."

"So?" Sam huffed. "Not only were you older and more experienced than me but most of that time you were over a foot taller too. But for some reason dad was always disappointed when you beat me. He always had this look in his eye when you won; like he couldn't believe I was his son. Always made me feel worthless."

Dean took a moment to gather his thoughts. This was not going the way he had planned. Deciding he needed to steer the conversation away from training and hunting Dean tried again. "I know dad was an a$$ when we were training. Guess it was the Marine in him. But that doesn't mean he didn't love you. What about all those happy Christmases we had together?"

"Those stopped the year I found out about the supernatural Dean. Remember?" Sam muttered.

"Oh yeah" Dean grudgingly agreed. "But we still celebrated birthdays. You can't tell me the three of us didn't always have fun on our birthdays."

"You mean on your birthdays" Sam corrected. "We always did something special with dad on your birthdays. Between the time I was eight and eighteen he was only home for two of mine and that was only because he had gotten badly hurt on hunts the week before."

"He couldn't help it if hunts came up around our birthdays." Dean defended. "He tried to be home. Sometimes things just came up."

"You don't understand Dean. I heard him on the phone turning down hunts because and I quote, "My son Dean's birthday is in a few days. I can't miss his special day." I heard those words come out of his mouth more than once Dean." Sam explained.

"He did?" Dean asked before he could stop himself. Tucking that bit of information away for later he forced himself to go back to the task at hand. "Okay so he was a bastard most of the time. But that still isn't proof that he didn't love…"

"You want proof?! I'll give you proof!" Sam hollered.

"Everything alright back there boys?" Bobby shouted from the front of the RV.

"Yeah, everything's fine." Dean called back. Turning back to his younger sibling he said, "Alright, calm down and tell me. What proof are you talking about?"

"You remember the day dad and I had the big fight about Stanford?" Sam softly asked. Seeing his big brother's nod he continued. "That morning he had gotten mad at me for not finishing my run on time and as punishment he made me wash and clean out his truck."

"I remember that. You said something about there being a car accident and that you had stopped to help." Dean recalled. "Dad was so pissed. Told you that you shouldn't have gotten yourself involved."

"Yeah" Sam sighed. "Anyway, when I was cleaning out the inside of his truck, I found this huge spiral bound notebook sticking up between the seats. At first I thought maybe he had started a new journal but that's not what it was."

"What was it?" Dean prodded when his brother didn't continue.

"It was like a grade book. He had started it the day he started training you." Sam told him. "He had listed every training session and hunt we had done up to that point. Each one had the date and time, what we worked on, and how he thought we did."

"Really?" Dean asked.

"Yeah" Sam replied. "Your name had a five star rating by it every time along with words like 'natural', 'fast learner', 'great hunter'. I could tell dad was really proud of you."

"What about you?" Dean questioned already knowing he was going to regret it.

"Think the most I ever earned was two stars." Sam mumbled. "And the things he wrote about me. Do you have any idea what it felt like to read that your dad thinks you're a selfish, lazy, screw up? Huh? I mean, I knew he wasn't happy with me but I still thought he, he…" Sam wiped his face with his arm and sniffled.

"Sammy, I'm sure dad didn't mean for you to see that…"

"That's the thing Dean. He did." Sam quietly correctly. "He'd had that book for years and neither one of us even knew it existed. There's no way after all those years that he'd slip up and leave it out in plain sight the same day he made me clean out his truck. No way. He wanted me to find it, Dean. He put it where he knew I'd see it. That's when I knew I had to leave. I wasn't planning on going until right before school started but I just couldn't stay after that. I just couldn't."

"God Sammy I'm so sorry." Dean whispered as he wrapped his brother in a hug. "I didn't know, man."

"It's okay Dean" Sam said from the confines of the hug. "I had you. That was enough."

Dean held his brother for another minute before slowly releasing him. Grabbing a fluffy green towel he draped it over his shoulder as he stood. "Come on Sammy. Let's get you outta the tub before you shrivel up like a prune." He joked as he reached down and hauled his baby brother to his feet. After helping Sam dry off and get into his night clothes, Dean led him into the bedroom. Sitting on the bed beside his brother he set about changing the bandages on his hands as he racked his brain for any other way to prove to Sam that their dad did love the kid. He had finished working on the boy's hands and gone to fetch a glass of water and the medicine when he finally thought of it; the perfect way to show Sam that their dad did care. Walking back into the bedroom he sat down on the bed and helped his little brother take his meds. He set the glass on the night stand and smiled down at Sam. "Hey Sammy, there's one thing you're forgetting here." He stated. "Dad may have been a real a$$ when we were growing up but that didn't mean he didn't love us. He even tried to make things up with you a few months ago. Remember that hunt he sent us; the one that turned out to be Mrs. Pool's spirit? She tore your back up pretty bad before we could get to you. It was so bad that you were out of it the first couple of days. Dad stayed right by your side the whole time, even climbed in bed with you when you were hurting that first night. Remember what he told you when you woke up?"

"Yeah" Sam softly replied. "He said we were the only good things in his life and that I was his baby boy and his last gift from mom and that he, he loved me."

"That's right" Dean agreed. "And he stayed there with you until you were fully healed. Like to drove you up a wall with all the hovering and mother henning he was doing."

"Uh huh" Sam yawned. "Kinda freaked me out at first. I mean dad was constantly hugging me and kissing my forehead and brushing back my bangs. I kept waiting for him to get tired and take off but he didn't. He stayed there and took care of me."

"Think he would have done that if he didn't love you, kiddo?" Dean asked.

"No" Sam quietly answered. "I guess not."

"I know not. Dad loved you Sammy." Dean confidently stated patting his brother's blanket covered chest. He brushed the bangs out of Sam's eyes and stood up. "Now get some sleep. Tomorrow's gonna be a long day."

Nodding his head Sam watched as Dean headed for the other room. Still unsure of his father's love and not wanting to meet an angry John Winchester in his dreams again he shifted nervously in the bed. He really didn't want to be left alone with his dreams but he was way too old to be asking Dean to sleep with him cause he was scared. He'd just have to go with his old standby; the one that had gotten him through his pre-teen and teenage years. Gazing at his brother's retreating back Sam called out, "Dean, could you, ummm, could you…I'm cold."

Dean immediately turned and hurried back to the bed and took a seat on the edge. "You getting a fever again, buddy?" he asked as he placed the back of his hand on Sam's forehead. "Huh, no fever. Your hands hurting?"

Sam shook his head as he slowly inched closer to his brother and snuggled into his side. "I'm just cold." He replied grabbing the hem of Dean's shirt.

Dean sighed. He wished Sam would just come out and say he wanted him to stay instead of hem-hawing around. Deciding to play along this time he laid down on the bed and wrapped an arm around his little brother pulling him closer to him. "That better?" he asked.

"Yeah" Sam yawned. "Thanks *yawn* Dean"

"Night Sammy" Dean whispered chuckling as a soft snore echoed through the room. Making himself comfortable he closed his eyes and quickly drifted off to sleep.

Dean awoke to sunlight streaming in through the windows. Glancing down at his sleeping sibling he grinned. The kid had managed to sleep through the whole night without a single nightmare. Slipping out of bed he hurried to the bathroom and took care of some urgent business before walking out to the kitchen. He picked up the coffee pot only to put it back down when he remembered Sam's reaction to the smell. Sighing he made his way up to the front and sat down in the passenger seat. "Morning Bobby" he greeted.

"Morning Dean" Bobby cheerfully replied as he turned onto exit 67. "We're almost there. Josh's motel is just a couple miles up this road."

"Great" Dean said. "Cause I could sure use a cup of coffee right now."

"Me too" Bobby muttered wincing when he saw the huge sign in the distance. He really wished Dean had slept just a little bit longer.

"Bobby" Dean growled as he gawked at the brightly colored sign above the road. "What the hell are we doing here?!"


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.

AN- The back story of the boys' first visit is in "The Little Runaway".

Previously on Supernatural-"Bobby" Dean growled as he gawked at the brightly colored sign above the road. "What the hell are we doing here?!"

Bobby glanced at the character filled sign announcing their arrival at Disney World as they drove under it. He'd hoped to put off this conversation until they were sitting in the hotel room but it seemed that wasn't going to happen. Just his luck the kid would wake up right before they got to that crappy sign. Deciding to see if he could stall until they reached the hotel parking lot he said, "I told you Dean. We're going to meet Joshua."

Dropping into the passenger seat of the RV Dean huffed. "Yeah, right. And he just happens to be staying at Disney World." He sarcastically spat. "Try again old man."

Before Bobby could answer Sam's voice rang out from the back of the vehicle. "Dean! Dean, I gotta go!"

"Just a minute, Sam!" Dean hollered back as he continued to stare Bobby down. "Well, Bobby? Care to fill me in on what's really going on?"

"Dean, don't you think you should go check on your brother?" Bobby asked. "He did eat an awful lot last night."

"He can wait a few minutes." Dean replied. "Now come on, spill."

Bobby ran a hand across his face. Knowing he wouldn't be able to stall any longer he opened his mouth to confess stopping as his eyes caught something in the rearview mirror. "Sam, what the hell do you think you're doing?" he yelled.

"Going to the bathroom" Sam simply answered shrugging a shoulder.

"Dang it Sam! I told you I'd be there in a minute!" Dean hollered as he stood and stomped all the way to his brother. "You better not have messed up your hands getting out of bed. You know you're not supposed to be using them."

"I couldn't help it, Dean." Sam protested pulling free of his big brother's grasp. "I've really gotta go."

"Well come on then Samantha. Let's go." Dean grumbled. Taking his little brother by the elbow he led him into the small bathroom.

Letting out a relieved breathe Bobby shifted his focus back to the road. He followed the directions on the multitude of signs that dotted the road to the hotel Josh had told him. Pulling into the check in parking lot he parked across several spaces in the back of the lot and turned off the engine. He waved to Josh as he approached and motioned for him to go around to the side door of the vehicle. Opening the door he smiled. "Hey, Josh" Bobby greeted. "Everything set?"

"Yeah, we just need to check in your vehicle and get your card keys and tickets. I would have done it myself but I didn't know which vehicle you'd be driving." Josh explained shaking Bobby's outstretched hand. "Can't believe you actually got Dean to ride in this contraption."

"Me either" Bobby agreed. Hearing footsteps he turned as John's boys walked out of the back room.

"Sam! Dean! Bout time you boys got here." Joshua said as he hurried over to the boys and pulled them into a hug. "Man, it's good to see you. I wasn't sure Bobby'd be able to talk you two knot heads into coming here."

"Why?" Sam asked curiously staring out the windows at the enormous hotel. "Where are we?"

"Disney World, Sam." Dean replied with a scowl.

"Disney World?" Sam repeated as a dimpled grin lit up his face. "You mean the hunt's at Disney World?"

"No dimwit! There is no hunt!" Dean growled. "Bobby tricked us into coming here!"

"Bobby, is that true?" Sam inquired turning his puppy dog eyes on the older hunter.

Bobby nodded his head. "Your brother's right. I did fudge just a little bit to get you boys to come down here. But there's a good reason for what I did and I promise I'll explain it to you in just a little bit." Bobby told the younger man. "But right now I need you to go with Josh and check us into the hotel, maybe check out the gift shop while you're at it. Your brother and I need to have a little chat."

Sam glanced from Bobby to his big brother. Seeing the furious look on Dean's face, the same one that had been etched on his face since their father's death, Sam looked back at the older hunter and nodded his head. "Okay" he quietly replied.

As soon as the RV door shut behind Sam and Joshua Dean pounced. "What the hell is going on, Bobby?" he hollered getting in the older man's face.

"Back you're a$$ up and cut the attitude, boy before I take you over my knee and tan your hide!" Bobby barked.

Seeing Bobby's angry uncle expression Dean took a small step back.

"That's better." Bobby muttered. "Now let's sit down and talk this out like grown-ups instead of toddlers throwing a tantrum."

"Fine" Dean huffed crossing his arms. "I know why you lied about where we were going. You knew we wouldn't come if you told us the truth. But why are we here?"

At the hotel

"Hey Sam, why don't we go look in the gift shop for a little while?" Josh suggested as he tucked the key cards and tickets in his shirt pocket. "From the look of those two hotheads it's gonna be a while before they're through."

"Sounds good to me" Sam replied. He followed Josh down a hall and into The Artist's Palette. Walking around the good sized shop he glanced at assortment of clothes, candy, and pins before stopping in front of a huge display of stuffed animals. Shuffling around the rounded bin he looked over all the different characters smiling at the memories they brought back. Spotting a certain plush donkey in a bottom bin he knelt down to get a closer look. He was so absorbed in his memories he didn't notice the small figure walking up to him.

"Mommy! Look! Him gots boo boos like me!" a little black haired boy hollered from his spot beside Sam.

"I see dear" a slim blond haired woman replied as she rifled through a rack of shirts. "Hurry up and find a new friend, Brandon. Daddy and Katie are waiting for us."

"Okay" Brandon replied turning back to Sam. Reaching over he patted the littlest Winchester on the arm gaining the young man's attention. "Hi, I'm Brandon."

Sam looked at the skinny little boy who was no more than five and smiled. "Hey Brandon" he greeted. "I'm Sam."

"You gots boo boos like me. See?" Brandon said proudly holding up his arm to show Sam the Mickey band-aid on his elbow.

"I see." Sam answered. "Looks like that hurt."

"Uh huh, but then mommy kissted it and it gots all better." Brandon explained eyes widening as an idea struck him. "You wants my mommy to kiss your boo boos, too?"

Sam chuckled. "That's okay, Brandon. My big brother already fixed them for me. Kissed them and everything." He assured the five year old.

"Brandon, stop bothering that nice young man and pick something." His mother gently scolded.

"Okay" Brandon called before turning to Sam once more. "Can you help me? I leaved my doggie at home and mommy said I can gets a new aminal to sleep with. But I can't pick one. I likes all of them."

"I think I can help you, squirt." Sam replied. Looking over the stuffed animals he pretended to study them. "Hmmm, I think, I think this is the best one." He said pointing to a small stuffed Eeyore.

"Eeyore?" Brandon asked as he picked up the toy.

"Yeah, Eeyore" Sam replied with a grin. "I had one just like that when I was little and he slept in my bed and kept the bad dreams away."

"He did?" Brandon whispered in awe.

"You bet" Sam confidently stated. He laughed as the little boy clutched the stuffed toy to his chest and raced over to his mother. Standing he glanced over to see Josh smiling at him. "Wh…he was cut off as a small someone barreled into him knocking him off balance. Grabbing onto the animal bin to keep from falling he gazed down to see Brandon hugging his legs. "Brandon?" he called.

Brandon peered up at his new friend. "Thank you Sam" he said grinning from ear to ear.

"You're welcome, kiddo" Sam replied patting the top of the boy's head with the back of his hand. "You and Eeyore have fun now, okay?"

"Yes sir" Brandon answered before running back to the counter where his mother and father were waiting for him. He giggled as his dad picked him up and sat him on his shoulders.

Sam waved to the boy as the small family left the store. Turning back he saw Joshua taking a stuffed Eeyore out of the bin. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Just thought I'd pick up a souvenir" Josh stated as he headed to the check-out counter. Glancing at his watch he decided they'd stop by the food court and check out the breakfast menu to give Dean and Bobby a little more time to settle things.

In the RV

"Okay, okay, I get it. You and Josh were trying to do something to get me and Sammy back together." Dean said with a sigh. "But Sam and I are okay now. We're talking again and everything. We even talked about dad. We don't need to be here to reconnect or whatever it is you two were thinking of. Sam and I are just fine."

"I know but…a cell phone ringing cut him off. Snatching the phone out of his pocket he glanced at the display frowning as Josh's name came up. He glanced at Dean and then flipped the phone open. "Josh, what's wrong…oh shit! Alright we're on our way…are you sure…okay; we'll be ready for you." Flipping the phone shut he stuffed it in his pocket and quickly stood and headed for the back.

"What's a matter?" Dean asked as he followed the older man to the kitchen.

"Sam's in the hotel bathroom puking his guts out. Josh said they were walking into the hotel food court when Sam threw a hand over his mouth and ran to the bathroom. Said he'd bring Sam out here as soon as the kid was finished." Bobby replied as he searched through the cabinet for Sam's meds. "Now, you wanna tell me again that your brother's fine. Cause from where I'm standing it sounds like he's far from being fine."

"Dammit! I thought we'd gotten everything worked out!" Dean shouted. "I mean, he made it through the night without a single nightmare."

"Dean, you know better than anybody that nothing is ever that simple with your brother." Bobby said as he grabbed the bag with the needed meds and started pulling them out.

"Yeah, but we talked. Did the whole chick flick moment and everything." Dean told his long time friend. "I really thought I'd gotten through that thick head of his."

"You'll get through to him Dean. It's just gonna take some time is all." Bobby assured him.

"I hope you're right, Bobby" Dean muttered as he hurried to the door. Throwing it open he held it still as Josh and Sam staggered inside. Letting go of the door he took his little brother from the older man and led him to the couch. "Hold on, Sammy. Bobby's gonna give you some of the good stuff and you'll feel better in no time."

"No" Sam replied shaking his head.

"Sam, you know you need it." Bobby said as he took a seat beside the two boys.

"I know and I'll let you give me the meds but not until we get to the hotel room." Sam argued. "You guys are not carrying me into the room."

"Fine" Dean agreed. "But as soon as we get to the room, you're getting the shot whether you want to or not."

"Okay" Sam whispered. Leaning back against the couch he dropped his head on his brother's shoulder and closed his eyes struggling to keep the nausea at bay as the RV rolled over the speed bumps at the edge of the parking lot.

Several minutes later Joshua pointed to a lone parking space in between the trees. "You can pull in there." He said pointing. "I left my car in the parking lot in front of the hotel so you'd have room."

Bobby pulled into the spot and cut the engine. Looking at their new home for the next few days he whistled. "You really outdid yourself, Josh." He complimented. "I was expecting a couple of rooms at one of the cheaper hotels."

"Don't thank me. This was all Mr. Taylor's doing." Joshua explained. "Oh, and before I forget he said that he made supper reservations for all of us at a restaurant called The Rainforest Café. And before you say it he knows about Sam's hands. He had them set up an out of the way table for us so Sam won't be embarrassed about people seeing him being fed."

"Sounds good to me" Bobby said as he slid out of the driver's seat.

"Me too" Dean agreed as he gently nudged Sam with his elbow. "Hey Sammy, guess what? You know how you always wanted a tree house growing up? Well, I think you just got your wish, dude."

Curious Sam slowly opened his eyes and looked through the window eyes widening at the sight of the wooden octagon shaped home surrounded by trees. "Cool" he whispered.

"You said it Sammy." Dean said. Slapping his brother's leg he stood. "Now come on. Let's get you inside and tucked up in bed." Chuckling at Sam's glare he helped his sibling stand and walk out of the RV. The two boys followed their friends up the deck steps and into the tree house. They made their way to the first of three bedrooms and shuffled over to the queen sized bed. After pulling back the covers, Dean sat Sam on the bed and bent down to take off his shoes. Once that task was accomplished he gently pushed his little brother back to lie down and pulled the blankets up. Dean sat down on the bed and leaned against the headboard. Reaching over he rubbed his little brother's back in comfort as Bobby administered the shot. He continued the soothing motion until he was sure Sam was asleep. Dean then slowly slid off the bed and tiptoed out of the room leaving the door partway open in case Sam needed him. Walking through the villa the young man peered in every room taking in every detail. Making his way to the kitchen he walked in, dropped in the chair between Bobby and Josh, and gratefully took the beer Joshua offered. Dean popped the cap and took a swig. "Hey Bobby? I understand why you and Josh wanted to get Sammy and me back together but there's still one thing I don't get. Why bring us here of all places?" he asked.

"Maybe because this is the last place all of us were together outside of hunts." Bobby answered. "I don't think I'd ever seen you boys happier than the time we came here. The two of you were running around and laughing and having a ball riding every ride in the park. It was probably the only time you and Sam got to be normal kids after Little Bit found out about the Supernatural. And your daddy was acting like a real father for once. There was no talk of hunting or training, just you guys enjoying the park as a family."

"We did have a blast." Dean agreed with a smile. "Sam and I even talked dad into getting on Space Mountain with us. Course he ended up puking in the nearest trashcan when we got off. Couldn't believe that dad could handle stitching himself up but he couldn't take one little roller coaster ride."

"I couldn't believe Johnny still rode everything you boys asked him too after that." Bobby added.

"Think he had as much fun as you boys did." Josh added. "We all did."

"Yeah" Dean agreed thinking back on the trip. "But that was a long time ago."

"So?" Bobby questioned.

"So this is a kid's park, Bobby" Dean pointed out. "And Sam and I aren't kids anymore. Don't get me wrong. I appreciate the effort you guys went to to do this for us. But we're just too old for a kiddie park."

"A kiddie park, huh?" Josh muttered. "And I suppose Aerosmith is just a kiddie band?"

"What do they have to do with anything?" Dean asked.

"It just so happens they are part of a roller coaster in one of the parks." Josh announced. "It's called Rockin' Roller Coaster and you listen to Aerosmith music while you ride."

"An Aerosmith roller coaster?" Dean whispered.

"Disney's grown a lot since we came here, Dean. There's tons more for grown-ups to do." Bobby told the younger man. "Heck, one of the parks is full of all kinds of animals as well as rides. And you know how much your brother loves animals."

"Yeah the little twerp was always finding strays when we were growing up." Dean recalled.

"This will be good for him, Dean. Being here will bring back memories of your daddy and how much he loved both you boys." Bobby said. "Trust me."

"I guess it couldn't hurt." Dean hesitantly agreed as he stood and stretched. "I'm gonna go get a shower."

"Hey Dean" Josh called. Reaching in the plastic bag on the table he pulled out the stuffed animal and tossed it to the younger man. "Give that to Sam when you check on him. The kid couldn't keep his eyes off it when we were in the store."

Dean glanced down at the stuffed Eeyore and smiled at the memory he brought back. Nodding his head he turned and walked out of the kitchen. He had a little brother to check on.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. And of course Disney belongs to the Disney Corp. I own nothing.

AN- A huge thank you to everyone still reading! Only one more chapter to go!

Previously on Supernatural- Dean glanced down at the stuffed Eeyore and smiled at the memory he brought back. Nodding his head he turned and walked out of the kitchen. He had a little brother to check on.

"Wakey, wakey!" Dean cheerfully called out as he tapped his brother's cheek. "Come on, Sammy, you planning on sleeping all day?" Hearing a muffled 'go 'way' he chuckled. "Not a chance, princess. Now wake up and get your a$$ outta bed before somebody mistakes you for Sleeping Ugly and tries to kiss you."

Groaning Sam slowly opened his eyes to glare at his older brother. "It's Sleeping Beauty, Dean" he corrected.

"Not from where I'm sitting." Dean teased earning a pillow to the face. "Hey! No hands!" he reminded tossing the pillow back at Sam. He yanked the blankets off his brother before helping him get on his feet. Releasing Sammy's arm Dean followed him out of the room and into the living room licking his lips as the smell of freshly baked pizza wafted into the room. Dodging around his brother's lanky frame he hurried into the fully equipped kitchen and settled into one of the wooden chairs at the table in the center of the room. He pulled out the chair beside him for Sam before reaching over and flipping open the top pizza box. Looking at the veggie pizza in disgust the older brother slid a fairly large slice onto a plate and set it in front of Sam as he dropped into his chair. Dean took the knife Josh handed him and quickly cut the slice into smaller bite sized pieces. "Here you go, Sammy" he said popping a piece into his little brother's mouth with one hand while helping himself to an enormous slice of the meat lover's pizza with the other. "Eat up so we can get to the park."

Wait, you mean we're staying?" Sam asked glancing at Dean in confusion.

"Course we're staying, Sam" Dean replied spraying the table with pizza bits, "Bobby and Josh went to a lot of trouble setting this up for us."

"Yeah, but…"

"No buts" Dean interrupted shoving another piece of pizza in Sam's open mouth, "we're staying. Consider yourself on a short vacation from hunting."

Sam slowly chewed and swallowed the piece in his mouth as he stared curiously at his big brother wondering what Bobby had said to cause the abrupt about face in Dean's attitude about their little ruse. His brother looked genuinely happy to be here; excited even and that just didn't fit with the furious version from earlier. Deciding to ask Bobby later how he pulled that trick off Sam sat back in his chair and listened contentedly as the three older men discussed plans for the day ahead. All the talk of rides brought back memories of their earlier stay and the wonderful time they'd had together. It also reminded him of a very big problem. "Hey guys" Sam called looking down at his hands, "maybe, I should, umm, stay here while you go into the park."

"No way, Sammy. You're coming with us." Dean adamantly stated.

"Dean, I can't ride anything with my hands like this." Sam huffed holding up his bandaged hands. "I'd just be in the way. You guys go on. I'll be okay here by myself."

"There's plenty of things we can ride till your hands heal, Sam" Joshua told the young man. "Plus there's some 4-D movies and shows and all kinds of other things. There's even a whole park full of animals we can check out."

"Really?" Sam questioned.

"Yeah, now hurry up and finish eating. I wanna get in the park before it's full of snot nosed little brats." Josh said as he stood and carried his plate and glass to the sink. Walking to the doorway he called out, "I'm leaving in five, with or without you."

Five minutes later the four hunters left the security of their villa and set off for a day of fun. Joshua led the way back to the main hotel building and the bus stops at the front. He walked past a few forming lines before stopping and taking a seat on a bench near a sign for Epcot. "Figured we'd start at this one." He told the others as they took a seat. "There's a few things there you guys will like."

"Are the fish still there?" Sam asked. Seeing their bus pull to a stop he stood and walked with his brother and friends to the back of the line.

"Yep" Josh replied as he stepped onto the bus and headed for the back. "They upgraded it but the Living Seas is still there. That can be our second stop. There's a 4-D movie I want you three to see first. It's based on some movie about a guy that invents a shrink ray and it's got some of the best effects I've seen or felt. You really feel like you've been shrunk. Heck, you even feel the footsteps of the 'normal sized' people walking around."

"Sounds good to me" Dean agreed smiling as the giant geosphere at Epcot's center came into view. He waited for the bus to come to a stop and then got to his feet. He followed the others off the bus and down a sidewalk to the park's entrance. Spotting the bag checking stations he frowned. He didn't remember that being there last time. "Hey Josh?" he softly called as he grabbed the hunter's arm. "What's with the cops?"

"That's one of their security measures." Josh replied. "They started searching bags after 9-11. Guess they were afraid someone might try to attack here."

"Good thing I left my knife at the hotel" Dean muttered as he walked through the no bag line and up to the entrance. Picking the shortest line he pulled out his and Sam's tickets and waited impatiently for their turn. Getting to the front he put his ticket in the machine and placed his finger on the fingerprint pad. Getting the green light Dean walked through the turnstile and turned to help his brother. After a short discussion with the employees, he was allowed to use his fingerprint for Sam. Dean tucked the tickets back in his pocket while he waited for Bobby and Josh to make it past the finicky machine. Once everyone was inside, the four men walked past the geosphere and into the middle of the park.

Joshua steered the group to the right and over a bridge to a multi-windowed building nestled behind a large fountain. Going up the small hill he led the way up the path and into the building. He grabbed a pair of 3-D glasses out of a bin motioning for the others to do the same and then walked into a large crowded room to wait.

"Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, huh?" Bobby muttered glancing down at the glasses in his hand. "Doesn't sound like much to me."

"Oh, don't worry. You guys are gonna love this." Josh said with a mischievous grin.

Bobby and the brothers exchanged nervous glances knowing their friend was up to something. Shrugging their shoulders they turned and watched the short movie about a boy and his lost dog and then headed into the theater senses on full alert.

Several minutes later the group exited the building with a fuming Dean in the lead. He glared back at his laughing little brother and friends before stomping toward the bridge.

"Dude, I haven't heard a scream like that since we watched that Friday the 13th marathon last Halloween!" Sam crowed as he caught up to his brother.

"Actually, I think he sounded more like that little girl on that raw head hunt a few years back." Bobby corrected trying and failing to stifle a chuckle.

"That wasn't me!" Dean growled as a blush crept across his face. "That was the little girl behind me."

"Uh huh, and she's the one that grabbed my arm too, huh Dean?" Sam managed to get out between giggles.

"Come on now Sam, give your brother a break." Joshua playfully scolded. "We all know he's scared of rats and all those rodents on the screen had to freak him out."

"Not to mention the ones that brushed past our feet." Bobby added with a smirk.

"I am not scared of rats. I just have a healthy dislike for them." Dean corrected struggling to keep the frown on his face as Sam broke into another fit of giggles. Dean smiled despite himself as he watched his still laughing little brother wipe the tears from his eyes that the giggling fit had caused. It had been far too long since he had heard that infectious laugh or seen a dimpled smile on Sam's face and he wasn't about to do anything that would wipe that look off his sibling's face. "Laugh it up Sammy" he grumbled giving his brother a mock glare, "just don't come running to me for help when we see a Ronald McDonald wanna be 'cause you'll be on your own."

"Sure I will" Sam muttered ducking away from Dean's hand. He stuck his tongue out at his brother and hurried to catch up to the two older hunters. "Not like that'll happen anyway. Everyone knows there are no clowns at Disney, right Josh?...uh, Josh?"

Josh kept right on walking smiling at the younger Winchester's calls. He'd forgotten how easy it was to rile John's boys up. This trip was gonna be a lot more fun than he thought.

After a few more rides, a churro break, and the inevitable trip to see the sea life, the men hopped a bus and rode to one of the other parks. Getting through the turnstiles they walked down the main street of the crowded studio checking the map for the times of their dad's favorite show. Noticing that they had just missed the start of the Indiana Jones stunt show they decided to check out some of the other attractions while they waited for the next show. They hurried past the huge Chinese theater in the middle of the park deciding to leave that ride for last. They walked down a small alley of shops and around a corner stopping as another ride came into view.

Sam stared up at the gigantic four legged At-At and the tree huts it stood over. Hurrying over he excitedly called out, "Hey Dean, wanna sit in the back?"

"Oh yeah!" Dean agreed as he came up beside his little brother. "Same bet as last time?"

"You're on!" Sam challenged with a dimpled grin.

"Uh, boys I don't think this is a good idea right now." Bobby said pointing to the warning sign. "I think we need to wait till Sam can use his hands for this one."

"Dude, half the fun of the ride is seeing if you can make it through without holding on." Dean told the junk yard owner.

"Hey, Dean, do you think it'll still work now that our feet touch the floor?" Sam asked still staring at the At-At as it's gun starting 'shooting'.

"You forget who always lost the bet?" Dean fired back as he started for the building.

"Oh yeah" Sam replied smiling at the memory of their dad buying them ice cream three times in one day. "Let's go!"

An ice cream break, courtesy of Bobby, and a stunt show later Josh announced that it was time to head for the restaurant. The men reluctantly left the park hopping on yet another bus. Getting off moments later they made their way past the bustling shops of the downtown area and over to a store inside a giant rock mountain. Walking up to the waitress behind the elephant counter they found Mr. Taylor already waiting for them. "Evening Mr. Taylor" Josh greeted shaking the man's hand. "You remember Bobby. And these two are Dean and Sam."

"Bobby, Dean great to see you again." Mr. Taylor said as he shook their hands. His mouth dropped open as he looked up at the youngest member of the group. "Sammy, what in the world did they feed you growing up? Last time I saw you, you were a short, scrawny little boy."

Shrugging his shoulders Sam smiled down at the man. "Hey Mr. Taylor. Thanks for setting this up for us. We're having a great time."

"Don't mention it. I told your father a long time ago to bring you two back sometime." Mr. Taylor informed them as he led the group into the dimly lit restaurant. "And after he helped me out with a little problem a few months back, I told him you guys had an open invitation anytime you wanted."

"Dad was here?" Dean asked taking a seat by the wall.

"Yes" Mr. Taylor replied. "We had boats sinking at Small World and we couldn't figure out a cause. It was always the thirty-fifth boat and nothing we did seemed to make a difference; not changing out the boats, or taking a break after every thirty-four boats or anything else we came up with. There was just no reason for it. Then I noticed a strange figure on one of the surveillance cameras. I remembered a conversation I'd had with your dad and called him up. He came right out and had the problem solved in no time. He said it was the spirit of a woman who had died shortly after getting stuck in the ride for thirty-five minutes."

"I'm surprised she didn't die on the ride." Dean mumbled ignoring his brother's scowl.

"Anyway, enough of that talk. You're here to have fun not listen to an old man." Mr. Taylor told them as he motioned for the waitress. "Enjoy your meal."

"You're not joining us?" Sam asked.

"No, I've been called into a last minute meeting." The executive replied. "Maybe I could join you for lunch one day while you're here."

"That'd be great" Sam assured him.

"You've got a deal, young man. Oh, one more thing; my niece is here on vacation and I've asked her to check on Sam's hands, make sure they're healing alright. I hope you don't mind. She's a burn specialist up at Emory in Atlanta." Mr. Taylor explained as he turned to go. "Well, what do you know? There she is with her family. Annette, over here!"

Sam glanced across the room jaw dropping as he saw who was heading their way. "Brandon?" he called as the small boy barreled into his side.

"Sam! Guess what?" Brandon hollered bouncing up and down. "I saw Eeyore! The real one! He hugged me and everything!"

"He did, huh?" Sam chuckled.

"Uh Sam something you need to tell me?" Dean teased pumping his eyebrows.

"Sam, who's that?" Brandon asked eyeing Dean curiously.

Sam looked down at the small boy and smiled. "That's my big brother, Dean." He told the boy.

"You're Sam's big brother?" Brandon asked as he climbed onto Dean's lap.

Waving off the boy's parents Dean settled the little boy on his knee. "Yep, I'm Sammy's older brother."

"Cool" Brandon whispered glancing from Dean to Sam and back. "Mister Dean, I falled outside and hurt my hand, see?" the boy solemnly told his new friend. "Will you kiss my boo boo like you did Sam's? He said you kissted his boo boos and made them better."

"Oh, he did, did he?" Dean asked glancing over at his red faced little brother. Turning his attention back to the boy in his lap the older Winchester gently took Brandon's tiny hand in his. He made a big show of examining the scrapped skin before leaning down and kissing the child's palm. "There you go, Brandon. All better."

Brandon gazed down at his hand in awe. Holding it up for the others to see he hollered, "Look Sam! Dean kissted my hand and made it all better!"

"I see" Sam replied laughing as Dean 'walked' Eeyore up Brandon's arm to sit on his head.

"Your brother certainly has a way with children." Dr. Johnson stated as she watched Dean and her son interact. Turning back to Sam she extended her hand. "Hi Sam, I'm Dr. Annette Johnson. This is my husband David, my daughter Katie, and you already know Brandon."

"Nice to meet you ma'am" Sam greeted. "And sorry to be bothering you on your vacation."

"You're not bothering us. After a day in the parks with the kids, I could use the adult conversation not to mention the chance to sharpen my skills." Annette replied. "I would like to wait till I get the kids to bed at nine before I come check on you if that's alright."

"That's fine with me." Sam agreed. "We'll make sure we're back at the hotel before then."

"Well we better go so you guys can eat. It was nice meeting you all." The young woman said as she scooped Brandon off Dean's lap. "I'll see you tonight around nine thirty. And Sam thank you for helping Brandon out this morning. I think we would have been in there half the morning if it wasn't for you."

"You're welcome, Dr. Johnson. See you tonight. Bye Brandon." Sam replied waving as the family walked. Turning back to the table he jumped as the lights flickered and thunder boomed followed by the sound of rain.

"Relax Sam" Josh instructed, "it's just a recording. They have a fake rainstorm every thirty minutes or so. Guess it adds to the atmosphere of the place or something."

"or something is right" Sam grumbled relaxing as the 'storm' was quickly over. He glanced over the menu picking the easiest thing for Dean to help him eat; chicken fingers and fries.

Once their order was taken the four hunters settled back in their chairs and discussed what to do after supper. Deciding to check out a few shops and then head back to the hotel, they watched the game on a flat screen above the bar while they waited for their food.

After a leisurely dinner, the men looked through several shops picking up some things they needed. They spent a long time in the Lego store playing with the different robots and other play sets on display. Knowing they needed to start back they pried Sam away from the huge Lego shark and robot outside the store and started making their way back to the entrance. After a quick stop at the candy store for some M&M's and Icees, the group walked out to the bus stop and took a seat on the bench to wait for the bus to go home.

AN-not too sure about this one.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. And of course Disney belongs to the Disney Corp. I own nothing.

AN- First I'd like to thank everyone for all the well wishes and prayers sent my way. My neck and shoulder are down to a dull pain so I'm back to writing.(at least till it happens again)

Well, we finally made it to the end. Thank you for taking the time to read this story and for hanging with me through all the long waits. Hope the last chapter lives up to your expectations.

Previously on Supernatural- After a quick stop at the candy store for some M&M's and Icees, the group walked out to the bus stop and took a seat on the bench to wait for the bus to go home.

Sam let out a relieved breath as he stepped off the bus into the warm night air. Either the bus driver came from the Arctic or a freezer air conditioner had been installed on the bus by mistake 'cause the last time he'd been that cold there had been four feet of snow on the ground. Dropping his arms to his sides as he warmed back up he followed Dean and the others across the vast hotel grounds to their home for the next few days. He couldn't wait to get back to the villa and met up with Brandon's mom. Sam really hoped after she examined his hands that she'd give him the okay to start using them again. He was hot and sweaty from their day at the park and wanted nothing more than a long, hot shower. And as much as he loved his big brother there were just some things Dean shouldn't have to help him with. Having his brother help him with everything from bathing to using the bathroom had made these past few days the most embarrassing of his life which considering his big brother's vivid imagination and love of pranks was really saying something. But then again, it hadn't been all bad. He'd gotten his big brother back. The angry, closed off loner of a few days ago had been replaced by the loving, wise cracking brother that had raised him. Dean had even managed to talk with him about their dad without shutting down or breaking anything. Recalling all the special moments with his brother Sam smiled. It had all been worth it to see Dean happy once more. He'd gladly suffer all those embarrassing situations and then some if need be. His big brother's happiness and well being was more important to him than anything.

"Hey Sammy" Dean called out, "you wanna get a move on? We've gotta met up with the doc, remember?"

"Yeah, I'm coming" Sam hollered back as he hurriedly strode over to his waiting brother.

"You okay, Sam?" Dean asked as the two started walking once more. "Your hands aren't hurting again, are they?"

"My hands are fine, Dean." The younger man replied with a roll of his eyes. "I was just thinking."

"Well quit. We're on vacation, remember?" Dean told his sibling as they trudged up the stairs and into their temporary home. "That means no hunting, no researching, and especially no thinking. So turn off that geek brain of yours and have some fun for a change. You do remember what fun is, don't 'cha Sammy boy?"

"Fun?" Sam asked. Dropping onto the couch he grinned mischievously at his older brother. "Oh, you mean like "Honey I Shrunk the Audience" fun?"

Dean glared at his sibling. "No, Sammy not piss off your older brother fun." Dean grumbled shivering at the memory of rats scurrying by his feet. "I'm talking roller coasters and water parks with scantily clad girls with great big…"

"Deeean" Sam whined.

"Saaaam" Dean whined back.

"Good to see you two haven't changed much since you were little." Josh remarked as he walked past the couch and headed over to answer the door. He glanced through the peephole in the door before opening it wide. "Evening, Dr. Johnson" he greeted holding the door open for the young lady. "Thanks again for this."

"You're welcome, like I said before it's not a problem. I love helping out. Besides, my uncle's been talking about you guys and your first visit for years now. It's nice to finally meet the boys he thinks so much of." Dr. Johnson said as she walked over to the couch and took a seat beside the youngest Winchester. Setting her bag on the coffee table in front of the couch she held out her hand. "Okay Sam, let's see those hands of yours." Taking one of Sam's enormous hands in hers Dr. Johnson slowly unwrapped it and turned it palm up. Holding it up she carefully examined the burned skin. "How long ago did this happen?" she asked as she set his hand down and started to unwrap his left hand.

"Umm, it's been about a week" Sam answered.

Dr. Johnson nodded. She thoroughly examined both hands paying particular attention to the spots that had blistered. When she had finished her exam, she picked up the burn cream that Dean had set on the table and gently applied it to Sam's hands. Pulling off her gloves she tossed them in the nearby trash can and smiled over at the brothers. "Your hands are healing well, Sam." Annette said. "I want you to leave them uncovered. They'll heal faster that way. And you can start using them again for..."

"Yes!" Sammy whooped. "Thank you Dr. Johnson!"

"Don't get too excited Sam. I'm giving you the okay to use your hands for the basic things like bathing and dressing but I don't want you overdoing it." the doctor clarified. "Understand?"

"Yes ma'am, I'll be careful." Sam replied. "But can I at least ride the roller coasters now? Holding onto the lap bar won't hurt anything, will it?"

"That will be alright as long as you wrap your hands when you're in the park. There's no telling what kinds of germs are on those bars." Annette instructed. "And if your hands start hurting, stop and rest for a while. Take in a show or a movie or something to give your hands a break."

"Okay, I will." Sam agreed. "Umm Dr. Johnson, does this mean I can stop taking the meds now?"

"That depends. What are you taking?" the doctor asked. She took the pill bottles Dean handed her and scanned the labels. Setting the taller bottle in front of Sam she shook her head. "I think you can do away with the pain reliever. Your hands will probably be sore for a while but Tylenol should deal with any pain you might have. The antibiotic stays though. I want you to finish taking it no matter how good you feel."

"He will. I'll make sure of it." Dean assured the doctor.

"Good. Now if there are no more questions, I need to be getting back. My little ones will be up and ready to go bright and early tomorrow morning." Annette said.

"No ma'am, no more questions." Sam replied as he stood and walked their guest to the door. "Would you like one of us to walk you back to your room?"

"No, that's okay. It's just a short walk. I'll be fine by myself. After all this is one of the safest places there is. Besides, I know how to handle myself. I'm not a third degree black belt for nothing." Annette informed him as she stepped onto the deck. "Oh, I almost forgot. Brandon made me promise to ask if you and Dean would ride the Winnie the Pooh ride with him tomorrow. I told him you probably wouldn't…"

"We'd love to" Sam interrupted.

"Are you sure?" the doctor asked. Seeing Sam's nod Annette smiled. "Okay, how about we meet at the Magic Kingdom for lunch, my treat? Say around one o'clock? There's a restaurant there called the Electric Umbrella that serves a little bit of everything."

"Sounds good" Sam agreed.

"Great! I'll guess I'll see you all tomorrow then." Dr. Johnson replied. "Goodnight gentlemen"

"Night, Dr. Johnson" Sam called. He watched her walk down the stairs and out of sight before closing the door and going back to the couch.

"Now that that's out of the way, what do you guys wanna do?" Josh asked.

"I'm going to bed." Bobby announced. "I'm beat."

"Bed?" Dean repeated incredulously. "It's not even ten o'clock yet, Bobby."

"That may be, but I drove part of yesterday and all last night to get us here." Bobby pointed out.

"Oh yeah, I forgot" Dean replied sheepishly. "Night Bobby"

"Night" Bobby said. He grabbed his small shopping bag and shuffled to his bedroom closing the door.

"Hey Josh, Sammy what do you say we order some pizza and see what's playing on TV?" Dean suggested picking up the remote.

"Pizza? Dean, we just ate." Josh reminded.

"That was hours ago, man." Dean protested. "I'm hungry!"

"You're always hungry." Sam teased as he stood up. "Go ahead and order the pizza and find us a movie. I'm gonna take a shower."

"Sammy, you, uh sure you don't need any help?" Dean softly asked.

Looking over at his brother in surprise Sam was stunned. Dean looked sad, upset even that Sam didn't need him…oh. Sam quickly put his thoughts of a hot shower aside deciding it could wait till another day. Right now there was something way more important to do. Swiftly forming a plan the youngest Winchester reached over to pick up his bag of candy only to stop and glance down at his hands. "Dean, can you get my bag for me? My, my hands kinda hurt and I…" He didn't even finish his sentence before his big brother was at his side.

Dean snatched up Sam's bag and his own. "Come on Sammy. Let's get you cleaned up and in bed." Dean instructed as he gently took his little brother by the elbow and led him to their bedroom. Once inside he headed straight for the bed. Setting the bags and Sam down on the bed Dean kneeled down and started untying his sibling's shoes. "Now, I know Dr. Johnson said you could use your hands and all but there's no way you can take a shower by yourself when you can't even pick up a little bag of candy." He said as he removed his little brother's shoes and socks. "Afraid you're just gonna have to deal with me helping you take a bath instead."

"But Dean" Sam halfheartedly protested.

"No buts, I'm helping you take a bath. End of story." Dean firmly stated.

"Okay Dean" Sam agreed hiding his smile. His plan was working perfectly. Sighing he followed his big brother into the bathroom.

"I'm telling you man, that ride's gonna be awesome!" Dean exclaimed as he walked out of the bathroom a short time later. Grabbing a shopping bag off the floor he dropped it onto the bed and rifled through it. Pulling out a light blue long sleeved tee shirt and matching sleep pants he laid them out on the bed. "Here you go, Sammy" he said as the younger man made his way over to the bed. "Gotcha something new to wear so you won't be cold."

Sam stared sadly down at the smiling Eeyore that adored the shirt. "Uhh, thanks, Dean" he softly mumbled. He quickly pulled the shirt and pants on and sank down on the bed. He popped the offered Tylenol into his mouth swallowing it down with some water and closed his eyes only to snap them back open as John Winchester's angry face complete with yellow eyes flashed across his closed lids. He shivered at the memory of his possessed father taunting him before ripping Dean apart from the inside.

"You okay, Sammy?" Dean asked as he walked back over to the bed and took a seat.

"Yeah, just tired" Sam lied. Faking a yawn he forced himself to lay back and close his eyes. If he could just feign sleep long enough Dean would be satisfied and leave…the bed dipping as someone climbed in the other side had Sam opening his eyes. He stared wide eyed at his brother as his sibling settled onto the bed next to him. "Dean, what, what are you doing?" he asked.

"Going to bed, what do you think?" Dean groused. "Now shut up and go to sleep."

"But, but" Sam stammered. "But why…"

"Because you need me, that's why." Dean told his brother. "And just for the record you could just tell me next time instead of that 'I'm cold' bullcrap."

"You knew?" Sam questioned.

"Course I knew. When have you ever been able to lie to me?" Dean replied. "Now close your eyes and go to sleep, bitch."

"Jerk" Sam automatically replied. He glanced over at his big brother who was pretending to sleep. "Thanks Dean" he whispered as he closed his eyes and quickly drifted off to sleep.

The next morning Dean shuffled into the kitchen to find Sam and Josh sitting at the table inhaling their breakfast. Going straight for the coffee maker the young man picked up a mug and poured himself a cup before turning to lean against the counter. He took a hearty swig and sighed contentedly. Taking another sip he glanced over at his sibling smiling as he caught sight of what the kid was eating. "Hash brown casserole is not a breakfast food, Sammy" he pointed out as he walked over and took a seat at the table.

"It is now" Sam replied through a mouthful of food. "Want some?"

"No thanks" Dean said. "I'm waiting till we get to the lobby. The restaurant there has an all you can eat breakfast buffet."

"Hope they cooked enough food." Josh teased.

"Ha ha" Dean muttered. "Just wait old man. Bet you won't be laughing after we get you on Rockin' Roller Coaster."

"We'll just see about that Dean-O." Joshua stated. "I can outlast you any day."

"You're on, old man. You'll be sitting on the sidelines with Bobby before the first hour's up." Dean replied. "Where is he anyway? He's not still sleeping, is he?"

"Naw, he left a little while ago. Said he had to go pick up something from the front desk." Sam told his brother. Hearing the door to the deck open and close he called out, "We're in here Bobby!"

Bobby walked into the kitchen carrying a medium sized package. Hoping he was doing the right thing he set it down in the middle of the table and turned to face the boys. "Boys, I got some news for you. Rufus called yesterday to say he'd found your daddy's truck. He checked it out and all Johnny's stuff's still in it. He's gonna tow it to my yard himself to make sure nothing happens to it." Bobby told his boys. "He said he found a small box in a hidden compartment under the driver's seat when he was checking things out. It had both your names on it. He thought you two might want it so I had him overnight to me here."

"What's, what's in it?" Sam whispered staring apprehensively at the package.

"Don't know. Rufus refused to open it. Said that was up to you." Bobby replied.

Sam reached out a shaking hand to touch the wrapped box only to retract it at the last second. He turned tear filled eyes on his brother.

Dean wanted nothing more than to throw the box into the nearest body of water and forget it ever existed. But he couldn't do that. Sammy needed to know for sure that their father loved him and the contents of the box just might prove it once and for all. _"Or it could be more of those stupid notebooks Sam told you about." _A little voice in his head whispered. With that thought the eldest Winchester made up his mind. He would be the one to open the box. That way he'd be able to keep Sammy from getting hurt again if the contents turned out to be more of his dad's crap. Seeing his little brother reaching for the box Dean quickly snatched it. "I got it Sammy" he mumbled. Steeling himself the young man pulled out his pocket knife, cut the tape, and yanked open the lid. Reaching in he gently picked up the small box nestled inside and set it on the table. Dean gazed down at cigar box with 'Dean and Sammy' scrawled across the top in his father's almost illegible handwriting. His fingers ghosted across the faded lettering. Tears filled his eyes as memories of his dad sitting in various hotels writing in his journal sprung to mind. Struggling to keep his emotions under control Dean closed his eyes and lost himself in his memories for a moment. Then forcing them to the very back of his mind he opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened the lid of the box. Reaching in he picked up the old photo lying on top. The picture of himself and Sam sitting on the hood of the impala made him smile. They'd been staying at Pastor Jim's place while their dad recovered from a fall down some stairs during a poltergeist hunt. Jim had somehow managed to set up a surprise party for Sammy's eighteenth birthday without any of them suspecting a thing. He'd never forget the look on the kid's face when they walked into the kitchen groceries in hand to find Jim, Caleb, Bobby, and Josh standing around the decorated table waiting for them. That had been one great day.

Feeling a hand on his arm Dean glanced over to see Sam gazing curiously at him. Grinning he handed the photo to his brother and reached into the box pulling out a tattered piece of paper. He unfolded the paper sucking in a breath as the picture was unveiled.

"Dean? Dean, what is it?" Sam quietly asked as he eyed his brother worriedly.

"I don't believe it!" Dean whispered to himself as he stared down at the paper.

"Dean, what is it, boy? What's wrong?" Bobby questioned as he walked over to stand behind the older boy. Putting a comforting hand on Dean's shoulder he glanced down at the paper in the kid's hand.

"N-Nothing's wrong, Bobby, I just didn't, I mean I can't believe he kept it." Dean hesitantly replied as he gazed down at the stick figure family happily standing in front of what must have been a house. "I drew it the day of the…that day. Dad had been working a lot of overtime at the shop and I thought he must get lonely there without us. So I drew this for him and gave it to him when he got home. He told me what a great artist I was and how he was gonna hang it up on his office door for everyone to see and then he folded it and stuck it in his shirt pocket. After the f-fire that night, I kinda forgot about it."

"How about I put that somewhere safe for you, son?" Bobby suggested. He carefully took the paper from Dean and set it on the counter behind him.

Wanting to get his brother's mind off that fateful night Sam patted Dean's arm. "Dean" he said, "Dean, is there anything else in the box?"

Shaking his head the eldest Winchester pushed his emotions to the side and reached into the box once more. "Hey look Sammy" he called, "here's that story you wrote about our family when you were little."

"No way!" Sam exclaimed. Taking the paper from Dean he stared down at the childish handwriting and crudely drawn map in shock. "He kept it all this time." He whispered.

Dean watched his little brother's face light up. _"Mission accomplished."_ He thought. Turning back to his father's treasure box the older brother frowned at the newspaper clipping that lay inside. Surely his dad hadn't put hunting info in the same box. Pulling the offending paper out he unfolded it and found himself staring at, well, himself. Seeing his much younger self grinning at the camera he couldn't help but smile. "I remember this." He said holding the clipping out for his brother to see. "We were staying in this Podunk town in Florida and for some reason or another you had decided to walk home from school by yourself. I'd searched the whole school twice before I ran into your friend Tommy and found out you were gone. I took off for home ready to tear you a new one when I caught up. But then I turned a corner and saw that creepy dude trying to pull you in his car."

"Wait! Someone tried to kidnap Sam?!" Bobby gasped. "Johnny never told me about that."

"That's because nothing happened." Sam replied. "Dean took the guy down before the creep could get me in the car."

"Yeah, and then that old lady called the cops. I thought dad was gonna kill me for losing you and getting the cops involved." Dean said shaking his head. "But he just hugged me and kept telling me how proud he was of him. Guess he was too scared to be mad. You know, he even stayed in town for this ceremony the mayor wanted to throw for me. Look! Here's the medal they gave me."

Bobby took the medal and read the inscription. "You did good, Dean" Bobby praised. Seeing the boy duck his head in embarrassment the older man shook his head. The kid never had learned how to take a compliment. Deciding a change of topics was needed the junk yard owner glanced down into the box smiling at the single item that remained. "Dean, I think that's for Sam." He said pointing to the box.

Glancing down Dean grinned from ear to ear. "Sure is." He replied. He gently pushed the box in front of his little brother. "Here Sammy, this one's yours."

Sam glanced from his brother to Bobby and back. Getting a nod of encouragement from Dean the younger man took a deep breath and looked down in the box. With shaking hands he reached into his dad's box and pulled out the last item; a well worn stuffed Eeyore. "My, my, he kept…" he stammered. "Why would he keep, keep this?"

"Looks to me like your daddy kept things that were important to you; kept them close to him. Think that was probably his way of keeping you boys close to him." Bobby suggested.

"You really think…"

"He's right Sammy" Dean broke in. "Dad might not have been able to show it, but he loved us; both of us."

"Listen to your brother, Sam" Bobby advised. "Dean's right about your dad."

"I'm always right." Dean corrected. Wanting to end the chick flick before they all started growing boobs the oldest Winchester added, "Besides, what better way to keep Sam with him than to carry around a long haired emo donkey."

"Deeean" Sam protested.

"See?" Dean said holding the stuffed animal up next to his little brother's face. "Now if Eeyore could just pull off a bitchface, they'd be twins."

"Yeah, well if you keep stuffing your face, you're gonna start looking like Pooh." Sam shot back chuckling at Dean's scowl.

"I do not look like a teddy bear." Dean scoffed. "That's Bobby, remember?"

"Don't go dragging me into this." Bobby warned.

"Too late" Josh laughed.

"Laugh it up, old man. We'll just see who gets the last laugh when we get off that first roller coaster." Bobby challenged.

"You're riding the roller coaster with us?" Dean asked.

"I am if I can ever get your asses out the door." Bobby replied.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Dean excitedly shouted as he carefully replaced the papers and medals in his dad's treasure box. Glancing over at Sam he watched his younger brother tenderly place the stuffed Eeyore in his pack and zip it up. "Come on Sammy! Let's get outta here before the old guys lose their nerve." He said clapping his brother on the back as he passed.

"I'm ready!" Sam answered with a dimpled grin. Grabbing his pack he hurried after his brother.

"_You did good Johnny"_ Bobby thought as he followed the boys out the door. Stepping out into the sun he let out a relieved breath. He finally had his boys back.

The End


End file.
